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Published Article / The purpose of this article is to report the findings of the study that investigated the causes of conflict in the township secondary schools – as viewed by the deputy principals. A questionnaire was developed and six deputy principals from six secondary schools of the Lejweleputswa district completed it. Data analysis was mainly qualitative, with numbers and tables used to enhance the qualitative understanding. It was found that the shortage of resources, poor communication and taking care of learners of absent teachers were the major causes of conflict in the schools surveyed. The conclusion was that conflict existed in the township secondary schools, and that the shortage of resources and teacher absenteeism played a major role in teacher conflict. It was recommended that the use of available resources be properly monitored, and that stress and conflict management sessions be introduced for teachers.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the causes of teachers' turnover intentions in selected Swedish schools. Research methodology – This research took the form of a qualitative research. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the causes of teachers' turnover intentions within the schools selected for this study. The sample was composed by 9 teachers that work in Säter. In order to provide a different yet meaningful perspective, a further interview with the Säter school department has been conducted. Results – Several of the results were coherent with the literature: elements such as motivations to teach, administrative support, workload, class size and collaboration were found to be related to teachers’ turnover intentions and therefore confirmed the previous studies. However, factors like salary, mentoring, autonomy, physical conditions and orderly environment were not found to have a connection with the respondents’ turnover intentions, hence constituting a result that did not confirm the literature. Originality – This thesis extended the previous research related to the causes of teachers’ turnover intentions by focusing on Sweden, which had not been investigated yet to that matter. The Swedish context appears particularly worth researching because of both the particularity of its decentralized educational system and the widespread turnover intentions of teachers.

MSc (Med), Population-Based Field Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Faculty of health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand / Introduction: The achievements of the United Nations’ millennium development goals (MDGs) are not possible in isolation. Adult health and mortality with the exception of maternal health is one of the health issues that were openly missing among the list of MDGs. But eradicating extreme poverty and hunger would not be possible if the economically active population is not supported to be healthy and to live longer. Little has been done on adult health, especially to reduce mortality as compared to child health. Adult mortality is expected to equal or exceed child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa if nothing is done. There are varying factors associated with specific-causes of adult deaths within and among different settings. Obtaining more and better data on adult deaths and understanding issues relating to adult deaths in Africa are crucial for long life and development. Objectives: The study seeks to (i) describe causes of adult mortality, (ii) estimate adult cause-specific mortality rates and trends and (iii) identify risk factors of cause-specific mortality in the Ifakara Health and Demographic Surveillance System (IHDSS) population from 2003 – 2007 among adults aged 15 – 59 years. Methodology: The data for the study was extracted from the database of the Ifakara Health and Demographic Surveillance System (IHDSS) in Tanzania from 2003-2007. It was an open cohort study. The cohort was selected based on age (15-59years) and active residency from 1st January 2003 to 31st December 2007. Survival estimates were computed using Kaplan-Meier survival technique and adult mortality rates were estimated expressed per 1000 person years observed (PYO). Verbal autopsy method was used to ascertain causes of deaths. Cox proportional hazards method was used to identify socio-demographic factors associated with specific-causes of adult deaths. v Findings: A total 65,548 adults were identified and followed up, yielding a total of 184,000 person years. A total of 1,352 deaths occurred during the follow-up. The crude adult mortality rate (AMR) estimated over the period was 7.3/1000PYO. There was an insignificant steady increase in annual AMR over the period. The AMR in 2007 increased by 11% over year 2003. Most people died from HIV/AIDS (20.4%) followed by Malaria (13.2%). The AMR for the period was 2.49 per 1000PYO for communicable disease (CD) causes, 1.21 per 1000PYO for non communicable disease (NCD) causes and 0.53 per 1000PYO for causes related to accidents/injuries. Over the study period, deaths resulting from NCDs increased significantly by 50%. The proportion of deaths due to NCDs in 2003 was 16% increasing to 24% in year 2007. Adult deaths from Accidents/Injuries were significantly higher among men (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.2) after adjusting for socioeconomic status (SES), level of education and household size. For communicable and NCDs, most people died at home while for Accidents/Injuries most people died elsewhere (neither home nor health facility). The risk factors that were found to be associated with adult deaths due to NCDs were age and level of education. An improvement in level of education saw a reduction in the risk of dying from NCDs ((HR(Primary)=0.67, 95%CI:0.49, 0.92) and (HR(beyond Primary)=0.11, 95%CI:0.02, 0.40) after adjusting for age and sex. Age, SES and “entry type” were the factors found to be associated with dying from communicable diseases among the adults. In-migrants were 1.7 times more likely to die from communicable disease causes than residents having adjusted for age, household size, educational level, employment status of the head of household and SES. Conclusion: HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of adult deaths in IHDSS area followed by malaria. Most adult deaths occurred outside health facility in rural areas. This could probably be explained by the health seeking behavior and or health care accessibility in vi the rural area of sub-Saharan Africa. NCDs are increasing as a result of demographic and epidemiological transitions taking place in most African countries including Tanzania. Without preventions the rural community in Tanzania will soon face increased triple disease burden; (CD), NCD and Accident/Injuries. Policies on accident/injury preventions in developing countries will be effective if based on local evidence and research.

thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, 2013 / Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and Periodic Limb Movements (PLM) are common neurological disorders for which the underlying aetiology is not fully understood. Currently RLS and PLM are thought to be caused by a central deficiency of dopamine or other functional abnormalities of the central nervous system. The work included in this thesis investigated different new methods of assessing the sensory and motor features of RLS and PLM, in an attempt to extend our understanding of their aetiology and improve the accuracy of diagnosis of these conditions. The first two studies in the thesis described and characterized the sensations of RLS symptoms, and whether they are influenced by the presence of pain, in an English speaking South African population. The most frequently cited descriptors were different to those used in the current RLS diagnostic criteria. Inclusion of the most commonly used RLS descriptors in the diagnostic criteria may help to improve the accuracy of RLS diagnosis. Patients who experienced painful RLS had greater McGill Pain Questionnaire scores and used different terms to describe their RLS to those that did not have painful RLS sensations. The third project quantified the responses of the Hoffman and patellar reflexes in RLS patients using electromyography and kinematics. The RLS patients exhibited hyporeflexia in the evening compared to the morning, and compared to control participants. This data suggests that RLS is not the result of a global state of hyperexcitability, as the literature suggests, but may reflect more discrete functional abnormalities of the spinal cord. A diurnal variation in the patellar reflex was found, supporting the notion of circadian variations of spinal excitability in RLS patients. The final investigation assessed the sensory qualities (discomfort and pain) of RLS in conjunction with motor activity evoked by using the Suggested Immobilization Test. Despite rating significant levels of discomfort, the majority of the RLS patients did not exhibit PLM; possibly suggesting a disconnect between the sensory and motor components of RLS. In conclusion, it is the major finding of this thesis that inclusion of new assessment techniques for the measurement of sensory and motor features of RLS and PLM provides both new insights and potential clinical tools enhancing our understanding of these disorders.

Student Number : 0310359D - MSc project report - School of Public Health - Faculty of Health Sciences / Background: Studies into childhood mortality present the opportunity to identify the leading and common causes of childhood mortality in different populations. Objectives: To study the trends in all-cause mortality, and patterns of cause-specific mortality, in children 0-14 years living in the Agincourt sub-district of South Africa over the period 1992-2000. Methods: Secondary data analysis based on the longitudinal database from the Agincourt Demographic and Health Surveillance System was used to study trends in childhood mortality between 1992 and 2000, and a comparison was made between the earlier period (1992-96) and the later period (1997-2000). Results: Seven hundred and twenty four deaths occurred over the 9 year period, 1992 to 2000, in children aged 0-14 years in the Agincourt sub-district of South Africa. Over 80% of the deaths occurred in children under-five years of age. Death rates in children under one year in the periods 1992-1996 and 1997-2000 were 8.9/1000 live births and 18.0/1000 live births respectively. Children under five years between 1992-1996 and 1997-2000 had death rates of 18.0/1000 live births and 35.0/1000 live births respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in death rate in infants, and in children less than five years, in those who died over the period 1992-1996 and those who died during the later period 1997-2000, with mortality showing an increasing trend (p-values <0.0001 for infants and for children under five years). Overall mortality rates in all children under 14 years between 1992-1996 and 1997-2000 were 26.4/10000 person-years and 37.7/10000 person-years respectively. There was no significant statistical difference in the overall mortality trend among children aged 0-14 years between the two periods of time (p-value 0.614). Infectious and communicable diseases were the leading causes of death with diarrhoeal deaths accounting for 15.2%, HIV/AIDS 9.7% and malnutrition 7.6%. Deaths from diarrhoeal disease between 1992-1996 and 1997-2000 were 481/million and 449/million person-years respectively. Deaths from HIV/AIDS within the same time periods were 107/million and 607/million person-years respectively. HIV/AIDS showed a statistically significant difference over the two periods with an increased risk ratio of 5.59 (95% confidence interval of 4.6 to 70). Conclusion: This analysis reinforced previous findings pointing to the fact that infectious and communicable diseases are the leading causes of childhood mortality in South Africa and other developing countries. HIV/AIDS and diarrhoeal diseases have emerged as major causes of mortality in this analysis. Efforts to control the HIV epidemic and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS must be accelerated in the Agincourt sub-district.

This thesis investigates how political or religious leaders have an impact on several socio-economic outcomes in two different countries, the United States and Italy. In the first empirical chapter I analyse how the race of a politician can have an impact on the incidence of crime. I answer this question by focusing on large US cities, where active participation in the political life of the African-American candidates has undergone a strong upsurge since 1965. In order to deal with the endogeneity of black candidates to city characteristics, a regression discontinuity is used, exploiting the multi-racial elections decided by a narrow margin of victory. The results show that the number of motor vehicles stolen increases considerably the year after the election of an African-American candidate. I investigate, as a possible channel of influence, how police employment responds to the election of a black mayor, finding a negative effect the year after the electoral race. The second empirical chapter studies how electoral outcomes can shape individuals' migration decisions. Using the Italian mayoral elections data from 2001 to 2014, I study how foreign citizens' internal migration with a regular residency permit in North Italy can be affected by the election of a mayor affiliated to the Northern League (Lega Nord) party, a far-right political movement characterised by a strong federalist, populist and anti-immigration ideology. To deal with the endogeneity of the Northern League to city characteristics, a sharp regression discontinuity is used. Overall the results show that a mayor affiliated to the Northern League party causes an increase in the foreign out-migration rate one year after the election. The third empirical chapter investigates the impact of papal visits to Italian provinces on abortions and live births from 1979 to 2012. Using an event study methodology, we find a strong decrease in the number of abortions following papal visits. This effect commences at about the 3rd month and persists until about the 11th month after the visits. However, we find no significant change in the number of live births. We argue that a fall in the incidence of unplanned pregnancies best explains our results. This fall appears to be concentrated among married women, a demographic that shows the biggest jump in religiosity when the pope visits.

ABSTRACT This study sought to explore the experiences of pregnant adolescent learners. It solicited information around challenges faced by pregnant adolescent girls, the impact of pregnancy on interpersonal relationships and psychological functioning, the support system that pregnant learners have, as well as their current feelings and perceptions about their experience. It is a qualitative study, and it employed thematic content analysis to analyse the results. The sample, comprising of five adolescent girls, was drawn purposively from Soweto High Schools. Adolescent pregnancy is generally perceived as a social problem because of the negative consequences often associated with it. Literature also suggests that low socio-economic circumstances and developmental factors predispose adolescents to a higher risk for unplanned pregnancy. The results of this study indicate that an experience of pregnancy during adolescence often results in challenges that may have a negative impact on normative development. Another finding is that most adolescent mothers receive very little or no financial and emotional support from families, partners or formal structures.

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Στην εργασία αυτή μελετάται η θνησιμότητα κατά αιτία θανάτου στον Ελληνικό πληθυσμό για τα έτη 1981-2000. Ειδικότερα μελετάται η θνησιμότητα για οκτώ αιτίες θανάτου και για τα δύο φύλλα και για συγκεκριμένες ομάδες ηλικιών. Η μελέτη γίνεται με τη βοήθεια δημογραφικών δεικτών όπως ο ακαθάριστος δείκτης θνησιμότητας, ο τυποποιημένος δείκτης θνησιμότητας και οι ειδικοί κατά ηλικία δείκτες θνησιμότητας κατά αιτία θανάτου και κατά φύλλο. Εξετάζονται επίσης οι πίνακες συνάφειας με χρήση της θεωρητικής κατανομής x2 (διωνυμική κατανομή) η οποία προϋποθέτει τη σύμπτυξη των δεδομένων με τη μορφή ενός δισδιάστατου πίνακα συχνοτήτων. Στη περίπτωση αυτή οι γραμμές του πίνακα αποτελούνται από τις κατηγορίες της μιας μεταβλητής και οι στήλες από τις κατηγορίες της άλλης, ενώ στον εσωτερικό χώρο βρίσκονται οι συχνότητες που αντιστοιχούν σ' όλους τους δυνατούς συνδυασμούς των κατηγοριών των δύο μεταβλητών. Η πιο απλή περίπτωση ενός πίνακα συνάφειας που εξετάζεται είναι ο τετράπτυχος πίνακας (2 Χ 2) ο οποίος προκύπτει από τη διαξονική ταξινόμηση των συχνοτήτων των δύο δίτιμων μεταβλητών. Τα κύρια αποτελέσματα της μελέτης είναι: - Η μείωση της θνησιμότητας κατά τα έτη που μελετώνται. Το συμπέρασμα αυτό προκύπτει από τη μείωση του τυποποιημένου δείκτη θνησιμότητα, τη μείωση της βρεφικής θνησιμότητας και την αύξηση της προσδοκώμενης ζωής κατά τη γέννηση. - Οι άρρενες υπόκεινται σε μεγαλύτερη θνησιμότητα από ότι οι θήλεις. - Οι αιτίες που παρουσιάζουν αύξηση τα τελευταία έτη είναι, τα ατυχήματα από μεταφορικά μέσα, τα νεοπλάσματα στόματος και οργάνων του αναπνευστικού και τα καρδιακά για τα δύο φύλα, ενώ τα υπόλοιπα νεοπλάσματα αυξάνουν μόνο για τους άρρενες. Όλες οι υπόλοιπες αιτίες παρουσιάζουν μείωση. / -