Motivation: Diet and nutrition are important factors in the promotion and maintenance of good health throughout the entire life course. Their role as determinants of chronic noncommunicable diseases is well established. Alterations in diet, both positive and negative have strong effects on health throughout life. Consumers' awareness of a diet-disease relationship may stimulate interest in learning more about nutrition thus acquiring necessary knowledge for dietary improvement and disease prevention. Objectives: • To investigate South African metropolitan consumers beliefs and attitudes about the link between food and health. • To explore the demographic characteristics and beliefs of South African consumers regarding the link between food and health; and to investigate whether differences exist in this belief between gender, race, age group and Living Standard Measures (LSM). Methodology: One thousand nine hundred and ninety seven South African adults (≥16 years), representing the four major race groups of South Africa, were selected by stratified random sampling from metropolitan areas in South Africa. The sample was weighted based on the South African 2000 National census data, to be representative of the adult metropolitan population based on gender, age and race distribution. Trained field workers administered the questionnaire by conducting face-to-face interviews with South African consumers. The questionnaire was designed by a multidisciplinary team and contained a number of statements on eating habits, food and health. Results: There were no practically significant differences in consumers' responses in terms of gender or age. Practically significant differences were found between different race and LSM groups for some variables. A small practically significant difference was observed among the races in statement 1, and between LSM 2 to 3 and LSM 7 to 10; and between LSM 4 to 6 and LSM 7 to 10 in statement 1 and statement 6. In statement 2, a small practically significant difference was observed between Whites and Coloureds. Statement 4 indicated a small practically significant difference between Blacks and Indians. A medium practically significant difference was found between LSM 2 to 3 and LSM 7 to 10 for statement 4. A small practically significant difference was evident between Whites and Blacks; and between Blacks and Coloureds in statement 6. A medium practically significant difference was found between Blacks and lndians in statement 6. The overall response of South African consumers towards the belief that food has an effect on health, that food can influence health and the development of some diseases, and that healthy food is only for people that have a disease, was very positive. However 56% of South African consumers do not want to have to think about disease when choosing food. Conclusion: Results from this study reveal that South African consumers have some understanding of the dietdisease relationship and believe that there is some link between food and health. This belief however differs between age, gender, race and LSM group. However, more research with regards what influences people's eating behaviour, attitudes towards healthy food and beliefs about the dietdisease relationship needs to be done in South Africa. / Thesis (M.Sc.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005

Motivation: Diet and nutrition are important factors in the promotion and maintenance of good health throughout the entire life course. Their role as determinants of chronic noncommunicable diseases is well established. Alterations in diet, both positive and negative have strong effects on health throughout life. Consumers' awareness of a diet-disease relationship may stimulate interest in learning more about nutrition thus acquiring necessary knowledge for dietary improvement and disease prevention. Objectives: • To investigate South African metropolitan consumers beliefs and attitudes about the link between food and health. • To explore the demographic characteristics and beliefs of South African consumers regarding the link between food and health; and to investigate whether differences exist in this belief between gender, race, age group and Living Standard Measures (LSM). Methodology: One thousand nine hundred and ninety seven South African adults (≥16 years), representing the four major race groups of South Africa, were selected by stratified random sampling from metropolitan areas in South Africa. The sample was weighted based on the South African 2000 National census data, to be representative of the adult metropolitan population based on gender, age and race distribution. Trained field workers administered the questionnaire by conducting face-to-face interviews with South African consumers. The questionnaire was designed by a multidisciplinary team and contained a number of statements on eating habits, food and health. Results: There were no practically significant differences in consumers' responses in terms of gender or age. Practically significant differences were found between different race and LSM groups for some variables. A small practically significant difference was observed among the races in statement 1, and between LSM 2 to 3 and LSM 7 to 10; and between LSM 4 to 6 and LSM 7 to 10 in statement 1 and statement 6. In statement 2, a small practically significant difference was observed between Whites and Coloureds. Statement 4 indicated a small practically significant difference between Blacks and Indians. A medium practically significant difference was found between LSM 2 to 3 and LSM 7 to 10 for statement 4. A small practically significant difference was evident between Whites and Blacks; and between Blacks and Coloureds in statement 6. A medium practically significant difference was found between Blacks and lndians in statement 6. The overall response of South African consumers towards the belief that food has an effect on health, that food can influence health and the development of some diseases, and that healthy food is only for people that have a disease, was very positive. However 56% of South African consumers do not want to have to think about disease when choosing food. Conclusion: Results from this study reveal that South African consumers have some understanding of the dietdisease relationship and believe that there is some link between food and health. This belief however differs between age, gender, race and LSM group. However, more research with regards what influences people's eating behaviour, attitudes towards healthy food and beliefs about the dietdisease relationship needs to be done in South Africa. / Thesis (M.Sc.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005

Depression is one of the most debilitating, widespread and costly health problems worldwide and has a high prevalence in almost every society. Research suggests that depression affects an individual‟s work engagement levels, burnout levels and the occurrence of stress-related ill health symptoms. However, it is unclear whether these findings would differ among individuals who reported that they suffer from depression and receive medical treatment for it, individuals who reported that they are unsure whether they suffer from depression, and individuals who reported that they do not suffer from depression. This study is quantitative in nature and a cross-sectional design was used. The study population consisted of 15 664 participants from several sectors in South Africa. The participants also differed in terms of gender, age, race, marital status, educational level, language and the province where they reside. The sample population was thus representative of the diverse population of South Africa. The SAEHWS, a self-report instrument based on the dual-process model of work-related well-being, was used to measure all constructs. The participants were divided into three groups, i.e. individuals who reported that they suffer from depression and are currently receiving medical treatment for depression, individuals who reported that they are uncertain whether they suffer from depression, and individuals who reported that they do not suffer from depression. Frequencies were used to determine the prevalence of depression in the three different groups and MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance) was used to determine the significance of differences between the levels of work engagement, burnout and stress-related ill health symptoms of the three different groups (individuals who reported that they suffer from depression, individuals who reported that they are uncertain whether they suffer from depression, and those who reported that they do not suffer from depression). The results showed that 18,3% of the population reported that they suffer from depression and receive medical treatment for depression, 16,7% of the population reported that they are unsure whether they suffer from depression and 65% reported that they do not suffer from depression. Furthermore, it was found that depression significantly influences work engagement levels negatively and that it significantly influences burnout levels and the occurrence of stress-related ill health symptoms positively. This study will make organisations aware of the effect of depression on an individual‟s well-being and of the fact that depression is a factor to be reckoned with. Employers should consider ways to assist employees who suffer from depression and should learn how to act preventatively to decrease any further occurrence. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

Depression is one of the most debilitating, widespread and costly health problems worldwide and has a high prevalence in almost every society. Research suggests that depression affects an individual‟s work engagement levels, burnout levels and the occurrence of stress-related ill health symptoms. However, it is unclear whether these findings would differ among individuals who reported that they suffer from depression and receive medical treatment for it, individuals who reported that they are unsure whether they suffer from depression, and individuals who reported that they do not suffer from depression. This study is quantitative in nature and a cross-sectional design was used. The study population consisted of 15 664 participants from several sectors in South Africa. The participants also differed in terms of gender, age, race, marital status, educational level, language and the province where they reside. The sample population was thus representative of the diverse population of South Africa. The SAEHWS, a self-report instrument based on the dual-process model of work-related well-being, was used to measure all constructs. The participants were divided into three groups, i.e. individuals who reported that they suffer from depression and are currently receiving medical treatment for depression, individuals who reported that they are uncertain whether they suffer from depression, and individuals who reported that they do not suffer from depression. Frequencies were used to determine the prevalence of depression in the three different groups and MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance) was used to determine the significance of differences between the levels of work engagement, burnout and stress-related ill health symptoms of the three different groups (individuals who reported that they suffer from depression, individuals who reported that they are uncertain whether they suffer from depression, and those who reported that they do not suffer from depression). The results showed that 18,3% of the population reported that they suffer from depression and receive medical treatment for depression, 16,7% of the population reported that they are unsure whether they suffer from depression and 65% reported that they do not suffer from depression. Furthermore, it was found that depression significantly influences work engagement levels negatively and that it significantly influences burnout levels and the occurrence of stress-related ill health symptoms positively. This study will make organisations aware of the effect of depression on an individual‟s well-being and of the fact that depression is a factor to be reckoned with. Employers should consider ways to assist employees who suffer from depression and should learn how to act preventatively to decrease any further occurrence. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

AIM: Nutrient profiling can be defined as ‘the science of categorising foods according to their nutritional composition’ and can be used as a valuable tool in food labelling legislation. Validation is an absolute essential step in the implementation of a nutrient profiling model (NPM), it is important to verify whether or not the NPM has a good solid scientific basis and if it is at all suitable for South Africa. This mini-dissertation investigated the construct validity of a NPM for South Africa. OBJECTIVES: 1) To test construct validity for the nutrient profiling model by examining the relationship between the way the NPM categorises foods and the healthiness of diets in South Africa. 2) To assess if the quality of a diet will improve if ‘unhealthy’ foods are replaced by ‘healthy’ foods as defined by the NPM. STUDY DESIGN: Nested in the South African leg of the international PURE (Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology) study at baseline. METHOD: The PURE (Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology) baseline study conducted in the North-West province in 2005, was identified as a suitable dataset of food intake. For the first objective the proportion of respondent’s diets consisting of healthy or unhealthy food, as classified by the NPM, was calculated. The respondents were divided into four groups based on their dietary quality as characterised by the Diet Quality Index (DQI), the lower the DQI-score the better the diet quality. The proportion of healthy or unhealthy foods were compared to the DQI-scores using one-way ANOVA’s, p-values were calculated using the Tukey post-hoc test. For the second objective the diet quality of four different diets consisting of either YES foods (according to NPM), NO foods, a combination of YES and NO were calculated and compared. RESULTS: The model displayed good construct validity by showing a statistically significant positive relationship between the proportion of ‘healthy’ (p<0.0001) and ‘unhealthy’ (p<0.0001) foods, as classified by the NPM, and participants’ DQI-scores. The second objective was also confirmed and a diet consisting of ‘healthy’ foods or a diet where ‘unhealthy’ foods were substituted by ‘healthy’ foods, had a better DQI than diets consisting only of ‘unhealthy’ foods CONCLUSION: Construct validity was confirmed by proving that the better the diet quality of the respondents the bigger their proportion of foods categorised as ‘healthy’ by the NPM and vice versa. / MSc (Dietetics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

AIM: Nutrient profiling can be defined as ‘the science of categorising foods according to their nutritional composition’ and can be used as a valuable tool in food labelling legislation. Validation is an absolute essential step in the implementation of a nutrient profiling model (NPM), it is important to verify whether or not the NPM has a good solid scientific basis and if it is at all suitable for South Africa. This mini-dissertation investigated the construct validity of a NPM for South Africa. OBJECTIVES: 1) To test construct validity for the nutrient profiling model by examining the relationship between the way the NPM categorises foods and the healthiness of diets in South Africa. 2) To assess if the quality of a diet will improve if ‘unhealthy’ foods are replaced by ‘healthy’ foods as defined by the NPM. STUDY DESIGN: Nested in the South African leg of the international PURE (Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology) study at baseline. METHOD: The PURE (Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology) baseline study conducted in the North-West province in 2005, was identified as a suitable dataset of food intake. For the first objective the proportion of respondent’s diets consisting of healthy or unhealthy food, as classified by the NPM, was calculated. The respondents were divided into four groups based on their dietary quality as characterised by the Diet Quality Index (DQI), the lower the DQI-score the better the diet quality. The proportion of healthy or unhealthy foods were compared to the DQI-scores using one-way ANOVA’s, p-values were calculated using the Tukey post-hoc test. For the second objective the diet quality of four different diets consisting of either YES foods (according to NPM), NO foods, a combination of YES and NO were calculated and compared. RESULTS: The model displayed good construct validity by showing a statistically significant positive relationship between the proportion of ‘healthy’ (p<0.0001) and ‘unhealthy’ (p<0.0001) foods, as classified by the NPM, and participants’ DQI-scores. The second objective was also confirmed and a diet consisting of ‘healthy’ foods or a diet where ‘unhealthy’ foods were substituted by ‘healthy’ foods, had a better DQI than diets consisting only of ‘unhealthy’ foods CONCLUSION: Construct validity was confirmed by proving that the better the diet quality of the respondents the bigger their proportion of foods categorised as ‘healthy’ by the NPM and vice versa. / MSc (Dietetics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

In many countries the focus of the employer's health policy has shifted from the emphasis of treating the disease to the preventative paradigm, which focuses more on the promotion of employees' health. Literature indicates that health promotion programmes have various positive consequences. The aim of this research is therefore to establish some physical, physiological and bio-chemical health profiles of colliery executives in South Africa as well as to determine the effect of a physical and a combined physical and health promotion intervention programme on the parameters mentioned above. Finally, this study aims to determine the effect of a physical and a combined physical and health promotion intervention programme on coronary prone South African colliery executives. In this study an availability, non-randomized sample of 143 white male executives from five collieries, aged 26-58 (x 41.7, ± 7.98 years), was used. These collieries are spread over two South African provinces namely Mpumalanga and Gauteng. Subjects who were on medication that could affect their cholesterol, blood pressure and aerobic fitness values were excluded from the study. The following parameters were used in this study: aerobic fitness, shoulder/arm, strength/endurance (push-ups) abdominal strength/endurance (sit-ups), flexibility, fat percentage, waist-and-hip circumference, body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking and leisure-time physical activity participation. ANOVA was used for statistical data analysis - providing descriptive and summarising statistics. One-way analysis of variance was used to determine relationships between variables. The Tukey post-hoc test was used to determine whether certain groups differed statistically significant from each other. It is clear from the descriptive data that flexibility (56.7%), sit-ups (39.7%), aerobic fitness (44.8%), fat percentage (31.4%), BMI (35.7%) and WHR (44.7%) fall into the undesired health zone. Regarding the physiological parameter blood pressure, 16.8% (systolic blood pressure) and 21.7% (diastolic blood pressure) fall into the undesired health zone; regarding the bio-chemical parameter cholesterol, 53.2% falls into the undesired health zone. With regard to some parameters, it appears that the experimental group showed statistically significant changes from Test 1 to Test 3, while the control group showed no statistically significant changes. The reason for this may vary from respondent to respondent already showing "normal" baseline values, probably due to their relative young age (Z=41 years) as to programme preferences and programme adherence. It must, however, be kept in mind that only physical, physiological and bio-chemical parameters were assessed. The health promotion activities focused more on the participants' knowledge empowerment. If these parameters were also included in the assessments the "enriched" programme might have provided some advantages that may have led to long term commitment and behaviour change. Physical fdness intervention (control group) is equally effective in addressing the primary coronary risk factors compared to a programme enriched with health promotion activities (experimental group). However, it seems that the experimental group showed a better response as far as lifestyle change (smoking) and physical activity were concerned. Assessment of other psycho-emotional parameters might indicate a different picture. Respectively 11.7% and 7.6% of the experimental and control group stopped smoking while 20.8% and 16.3% of the experimental and control group respectively reported a higher leisure-time physical activity participation. Regarding aerobic fitness and blood pressure, the average baseline values moved from the high risk category to the "normal" category, while the total cholesterol concentration in the post training values decreased with 12.5% and 14.8% in the experimental and control group respectively. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

In many countries the focus of the employer's health policy has shifted from the emphasis of treating the disease to the preventative paradigm, which focuses more on the promotion of employees' health. Literature indicates that health promotion programmes have various positive consequences. The aim of this research is therefore to establish some physical, physiological and bio-chemical health profiles of colliery executives in South Africa as well as to determine the effect of a physical and a combined physical and health promotion intervention programme on the parameters mentioned above. Finally, this study aims to determine the effect of a physical and a combined physical and health promotion intervention programme on coronary prone South African colliery executives. In this study an availability, non-randomized sample of 143 white male executives from five collieries, aged 26-58 (x 41.7, ± 7.98 years), was used. These collieries are spread over two South African provinces namely Mpumalanga and Gauteng. Subjects who were on medication that could affect their cholesterol, blood pressure and aerobic fitness values were excluded from the study. The following parameters were used in this study: aerobic fitness, shoulder/arm, strength/endurance (push-ups) abdominal strength/endurance (sit-ups), flexibility, fat percentage, waist-and-hip circumference, body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking and leisure-time physical activity participation. ANOVA was used for statistical data analysis - providing descriptive and summarising statistics. One-way analysis of variance was used to determine relationships between variables. The Tukey post-hoc test was used to determine whether certain groups differed statistically significant from each other. It is clear from the descriptive data that flexibility (56.7%), sit-ups (39.7%), aerobic fitness (44.8%), fat percentage (31.4%), BMI (35.7%) and WHR (44.7%) fall into the undesired health zone. Regarding the physiological parameter blood pressure, 16.8% (systolic blood pressure) and 21.7% (diastolic blood pressure) fall into the undesired health zone; regarding the bio-chemical parameter cholesterol, 53.2% falls into the undesired health zone. With regard to some parameters, it appears that the experimental group showed statistically significant changes from Test 1 to Test 3, while the control group showed no statistically significant changes. The reason for this may vary from respondent to respondent already showing "normal" baseline values, probably due to their relative young age (Z=41 years) as to programme preferences and programme adherence. It must, however, be kept in mind that only physical, physiological and bio-chemical parameters were assessed. The health promotion activities focused more on the participants' knowledge empowerment. If these parameters were also included in the assessments the "enriched" programme might have provided some advantages that may have led to long term commitment and behaviour change. Physical fdness intervention (control group) is equally effective in addressing the primary coronary risk factors compared to a programme enriched with health promotion activities (experimental group). However, it seems that the experimental group showed a better response as far as lifestyle change (smoking) and physical activity were concerned. Assessment of other psycho-emotional parameters might indicate a different picture. Respectively 11.7% and 7.6% of the experimental and control group stopped smoking while 20.8% and 16.3% of the experimental and control group respectively reported a higher leisure-time physical activity participation. Regarding aerobic fitness and blood pressure, the average baseline values moved from the high risk category to the "normal" category, while the total cholesterol concentration in the post training values decreased with 12.5% and 14.8% in the experimental and control group respectively. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

This study explored the effect of the Lifeplan® programme, an Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR) initiative, on the psychological well–being of the rural community of Taung, in the North West Province of South Africa. A mixed method sequential explanatory research design was followed where quantitative data were obtained in a pre– and post–evaluation phase. Participants were adult individuals (N=99) between the ages of 20 and 83 years, with a mean age of 43 years, living within six rural towns in the Taung community. Participants were randomly divided into an experimental group (n=47) and a control group (n=52). Four standardised scales, the General Psychological Well–being Scale (GPWS) (Khumalo, Temane, & Wissing, 2010), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ–9) (Kroenke, & Spitzer, 2002), the Coping Self–Efficacy Scale (CSE) (Chesney, Neilands, Chambers, Taylor, & Folkman, 2006), and the Mental Health Continuum - Short Form (MHC–SF) (Keyes, 2006; Keyes, Wissing, Potgieter, Temane, Kruger, & van Rooy, 2008), validated for use in a Setswana–speaking group, were administered to measure psychological well–being. Qualitative data were obtained through conducting semi–structured interviews with a simple random sample of 30 participants three months after presentation of the programme. The quantitative findings reflected a small increase in the general psychological and emotional well–being of the experimental group. Between–group comparisons showed small practical significant differences (d=0.19 - 0.40) in the experimental group on most of the measuring instruments. Qualitative results suggest that the participants in this study experienced the Lifeplan® programme as educational, and contributing positively towards their general well–being. Participants felt that they have become more attentive to their health needs especially through exercise, a healthier diet and better attendance to overall hygiene. Suggestions for further research and possible programme interventions include a follow–up study to evaluate the sustainability of skills obtained and changes made as a result of the Lifeplan® programme. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Because of the HIV– and Aids pandemic, a paradigm shift is currently noticed in the traditional role expectation of educators. Except for didactical education, they are also confronted with professional and personal demands on a daily basis. These changes in professional and personal roles are often traumatic and sufficient coping skills as well as support, seems to be limited. The REds–program (resilient educators) was developed for this reason - to empower educators to cope more resiliently with these demands. This study was conducted in order to determine if this program is effective in the empowerment of educators. Two articles follow, from which the first one examines and explores the content, nature and extent of the program. The evaluation of the REds–program follows in the second article. Findings suggest that there were participants that were empowered in the long run and direct feedback from participants confirm that they found the program to be valuable on professional and personal areas. / Thesis (M.A. (MW.))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.