Thesis (M.S. Ed.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1992. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 31). Also available via the Internet.

Report (M.S. Ed.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 75). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Pennsylvania, 1974. / Includes index. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves ix-xvi).

D.Cur / One of the most important factors relating to antenatal care provisions as One of the most important componentscomponents of P rimary Health Carecomponents of Prima ry Health C are (PHC ) is that the provisio forfor all pregnant women for whom these provisions afor all pregnant women for whom these provisions related to the a vailability, afforda bility, accepta bility, effectiveness, efficiency , equityrelated to the availability, utilization of the antenatal care clinics by pregnant women. TheThe White Paper on the Trans foThe White Paper on the Trans formation of The White Paper on services be madeservices be ma de accessib le for all the po pulation grou ps in South A frica. Thisservices thethe health services should be equally accessible in thethe health services should be equally accessible in WhiteWhite Paper states tha t all citizens shou ld have equ al access toWhite Paper states that all citizens should entitled. The right of access to health care means that: " Health professionals are obliged to facilitate access. The following constitute access to health care: " Functional services, of sufficient quality; " Physical, economic and information access; " Respect for ethics and culture, including language; " Scientifically appropriated and high quality care; and " Recognition of the needs of vulnerable groups. IfIf the curriculum for the training ofIf the curriculum for the training of primary health careIf the curriculum itit should reflect community needs more accura tely and the teaching sho uldit should reflect community moremore emphasis on community and oumore emphasis on community and outcome-bmore emphasis undertundertaundertakenundertaken to explore and describe the factors that influence the accessibility of carecare services in the then Central Region of the then Northern Prcare services in the then Central strategies to address such factors. TheThe aim of this study was to expThe aim of this study was to explore and desThe aim of this accessibilityaccessibility of antenatalaccessibility of antenatal care clinics in the rural areas. The researcher descrip tivedescriptive and contextualdescriptive and contextual design to approachdescriptive and contextual obtained th rough interview s withobtained through interviews with postpartum women, clinic and hospitalobtained withwith nurses fromwith nurses from thewith nurses from the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Office in ofof Heaof Healof Health and Welfare. The second phase entailed the development of strategies addressingaddressing thoaddressing those factors addressing those factors that influence the accessibility data obtained in phase one of this study as well as from the literature. TheThe results of this research show that several personal anThe results of this research show that several byby both health care us ers and health care providersby both health c are users and h ealth care provid ers haveby thethe antenatal care clinics. The principal factors are: adolescent pregnancy,the antenatal care clinics. humanhuman and materialhuman and material resources, thehuman and material resources, the considerable thethe long waiting hours, paucity of community ithe long waiting hours, paucity of community involvemethe relatingrelating to the organization of health care activities at the clinic, andrelating to the organization of and safety at the clinics. RecommRecommendationsRecommendations evolving from this study are that the Health Department should moremore nurse s and mater ial resources, the clinicmore nurses and material resources, the clinic should be organised nnursesnurses shounurses should be given in-service education in primary health care (PHC), including antenatalantenatal care services, on a regular basis in order to equip themantenatal care services, on a clinics.clinics. Security of the clinic en vironment should be imp roved to ensu re the safety o f both personnel and patients on a twenty-four hourpersonnel and patients on a twenty-four hour basis. Antenatal more accessible to all the communities.

Community participation has been a popular method of people centred, grassroots development in many developing countries. With an emphasis on primary health care (PHC) through the signing of the Declaration of Alma Atta in 1978, there was a renewed commitment to community participation within the health care system. In South Africa, the end of the apartheid era announced a new dedication towards the principles of a comprehensive, promotive and preventative health care in line with the principles of PHC. These changes were outlined in The White Paper on Transformation of the Health System (1997) and advocated the importance of community involvement in the health care system. These roles were formalised in the National Act Health (61 of 2003) with the provision for the establishment of the clinic and community health centre committees as statutory bodies. The initial implementation of the committees had no guidelines or policy to direct their functioning and therefore led to them being differentiated and poorly functioning. In 2009, the Eastern Cape Department of Health issued a Policy on the Establishment and Effective functioning of Clinic and Community Health Centre Committees. In 2010, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s Community Development Unit, in collaboration with the Health Department, provided a program to formally establish and train all the community health committees in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in accordance with the new policy. This research aimed to investigate the community health committees (CHCs) in the Nelson Mandela Bay District, specifically the way in which they were functioning, three years on from this establishment process, with regards to the roles and functions outlined in the Policy document. This report highlights the extent to which the roles are being met, the challenges impeding the fulfilment of these roles and other factors which inhibit the effective functioning of the CHCs. A qualitative research method was used including focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with key informants to illicit the necessary data. These results were transcribed and analysed to identify recurring themes in order to draw conclusions. The CHCs were found to have varying levels of functionality but had similar challenges in fulfilling the roles. Generally there was a poor level of awareness of the policy and the roles defined within and in addition to this there was confusion over the terminology used within the Policy. The role of Advocacy was undertaken enthusiastically by the CHCs with many forms of education and health programs being promoted. However, a lack of knowledge of the PHC model was evident, which inhibited the CHCs from advocating the importance of this. Oversight was seen by the CHC members as being the most important role for them to fulfil, as the level of medical care received in the clinic was perceived to be poor. The CHC members readily monitor levels of medication, staff presence and service provision but do not feel that they have much power to improve the situation. The role of Social Mobilisation was poorly fulfilled due to a lack of outreach into the community and therefore social upliftment only takes place when community members come to the clinic to use the services. Finally, fundraising was the most unsuccessfully achieved role of the CHCs. A combination of a lack of formal recognition and misguided ideas, have resulted in little means of funding for the CHCs. Generally the major inhibiting factors that the CHCs face are; an incomplete fulfilment of the outlined membership of the committees, lack of comprehensive community representation, a lack of commitment from the Health Department and a feeling of isolation. All of these factors are reducing the motivation of the dedicated CHC members. Recommendations were made at the end of the study to help increase the impact these committees are having on their communities. It is hoped that the Provincial Health Department can work together with the CHCs and other stakeholders to implement these recommendations to help sustain the CHCs further.

MSc., Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011 / There is an increasing adoption of outdoor visits in high schools in Lesotho and this study was done to find out what students learn about community health as they visit Lesotho Water and Sewage Authority (WASA). Eighty Form D (equivalent to grade 11 in South Africa) learners were the participants in this study. In order to capture students‘ learning a qualitative study was designed. The study used observations, questionnaire (n=80) and semi-structured interviews (n=8) with learners. The data was analyzed inductively and deductively in order to answer questions about knowledge changes as a result of a visit to WASA, and about the aspects of the visit that influence learners‘ knowledge about community health. Analysis of the questionnaire and the interviews revealed that learners greatly gained knowledge as a result of the visit to WASA while others developed misconception and others did not change their conceptions at all. The forms of conceptual change identified from learners responses were enrichment and conceptual capture. Learners realized that water purification is not a minute-made activity since there are several steps involved in water purification and that taps are not the main water sources. Learners also became aware that boiling water is not the only effective way of treating water instead other purifying stations like WASA can purify water suitable for domestic use. However, some learners believed that water that has been treated by the sewage plant is not suitable to be purified and used for domestic purpose. The observation analysis indicated that the physical facilities, displays, prior knowledge and participation during the visit are some of the aspects that influence learners‘ knowledge about community health. The realism of concepts communicated during the visit enhanced learners‘ ability to acquire knowledge about community health. The physical facilities such as the machinery at WASA provided the concrete evidence that water is drawn from the rivers therefore rivers are the main water sources. Visual displays contributed much in learners‘ ability to gain knowledge during the visit to WASA. It has also been found that although manipulation of objects was minimal, learners still gained information communicated during the visit. With the stated findings above, a visit to WASA enhance learner‘s ability to acquire information about community health.

Wai-ying Tsui. / Thesis (M.Ph)--Chinese University of Hong Kong. / Bibliography: leaves 164-167.

Introduction: Expanding the role of community pharmacists within primary care has become an important policy agenda in the UK. To ensure that pharmacy services are delivered to their full potential, services need to be better tailored to consumers' needs and preferences. The discrete choice experiment (DCE), a technique rooted in economic theory, has been used extensively to elicit consumers' preferences and values in healthcare. However, despite its popularity, there is limited empirical evidence on the external validity of DCEs. Aims: The aim of this thesis was to assess consumers' preferences for a community pharmacyled health check using a DCE with a methodological focus to investigate the external validity of DCE. Method: This thesis employed a four-phased mixed methods study design. In Phase I, a convenience sample of participants was recruited from within a community pharmacy, a colocated dental practice and nearby public spaces and invited to complete a DCE questionnaire to assess preferences for a community pharmacy-led health-check. The DCE comprised twelve choices examining preferences for six attributes of the health check. Additionally, the questionnaire included post-choice certainty questions and attitudinal measures developed from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Four weeks later, these participants were offered a real choice between two actual health-checks (Phase II). Their actual choices were compared with DCE-predicted choices; if these differed, participants were invited to an in-depth, face-toface interview (Phase III). In Phase IV, leaflets promoting the service were handed out to the local population and uptake was compared with that predicted by the DCE. Results: The DCE was completed by 423 individuals; 133 (31.4%) were contactable in Phase II and 10 were interviewed in Phase III. The DCE suggested that consumers preferred a healthcheck that was: cheaper; delivered by experienced personnel; with follow-up; available by appointment; lasted 30-minutes; with weekend availability. The estimated value of the health check was £49. The DCE correctly predicted 42.1% of participants' actual choices in Phase II. Calibration of the DCE with certainty questions and incorporation of the TPB into DCE improved DCE-prediction. From the interviews in Phase III, reasons for discrepancies in stated choice and actual behaviour included differences in decision-making processes in DCE and real life, attitudinal and other contextual factors (e.g. timing, location). Discussion & Conclusion: Consumers valued the role of community pharmacists in providing public health services targeted at disease prevention. This finding supports government policies to increase community pharmacists' contribution to public health. Whilst the results raised questions about the external validity of DCE in this study context, different choice modelling approaches (i.e. incorporation of TPB and certainty calibration) improved external validity of DCE. Qualitative findings provided deeper insights into why participants did not do as they said and do not necessarily invalidate DCE findings. The findings from this study should not act as a deterrent to future use of DCEs but more to raise awareness of the need to take into account how choices are made in real life. Ideally the development of DCE and the modelling of choice responses should mimic as closely as possible the decision-making process individuals face in reality.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (site viewed on Feb. 8, 2007). PDF text: 252 p. UMI publication number: AAT 3216342. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche format.

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, August, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.