Literature on psychological aspects of childhood cancer has treated adolescents as a homogeneous group, while revealing little about their individuality. This study's purpose was to systematically explore similarities and differences in adolescent boys with leukemia and to explore nurses' perceptions of the boys. Participants were recruited from a pediatric oncology clinic; the boys were 13, 14, and 18 years old and were selected based on age, active treatment for leukemia, and rapport with the investigator. To elicit constructs used by each boy to interpret feelings, the study employed a variant of psychologist George Kelly's technique for eliciting unique organizing principles (personal constructs) by which Kelly theorized people interpret experience (1955). The boys rated themselves on their personal constructs; their nurses also rated them on the constructs. Results reveal distinctive differences and certain similarities in the boys' personal constructs. Nurses' ratings of each patient differ in varying degrees from his own.

Urinary incontinence has already been identified worldwide for years as a health problem affecting essentially women, which can interfere with their overall quality of life. However in Rwanda, this problem has yet not been addressed adequately either because of lack of expertise, or because of cultural traditions associated with taboos among women. Social conditions of women facing this problem hinder them from seeking possibly adequate medical assistance. It is important that this problem be addressed because it may lead to disability, social seclusion, psychological stress and economic burdens. This study was a pioneer one, intended to diagnose the extent of the problem through determining the prevalence of urinary incontinence as well as its impact on the quality of life among women. The study will hopefully be followed by the promotion of physiotherapy to tackle the problem and therefore reduce the number of people suffering from urinary incontinence.

<p>This study explored women's perceptions of how their illness (Rheumatoid Arthritis- RA) affects their relationship with their intimate life partner. RA is a chronic, inflammatory, auto-immune illnes, which mainly affects the synovial membranes of multiple joints. This highly inflammatory poly-arthritis may lead to joint destruction, chronic pain, deformity and loss of functioning as unfortunate outcomes of the established illness. RA affects key life domains such as psychological well-being, social well-being, family and couple relationships, employment, loss of independence and restrictions in daily functioning.</p>

The problem of this study was the relationship of health knowledges to health practices of college freshmen at North Texas State University.

A dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Diploma in Technology: Homoeopathy, TechniKon Natal, Durban, 1994. / This study contains a review of the major recognizable Industrial problem of chronic lead toxicity. Lead poisoning has been recognized for thousands of years, dating beclt to the Roman Empire. Today, Industries In South Africa and worldwide struggle to maintain low blood lead levels In their employees and companies have to abide by regulations to ensure they ere doing all that Is In their power. Cooltson Chemicals (Pty) Limited, In Durban, which has a factory which produces lead based chemicals, was approached with regard to treating the workers exposed to the lead dust and fumes with Homoeopathlc Slmlllimum. This Individualistic Homoeopathlc treatment depends on the person's symptoms and signs on a physical, mental and emotional level, and by treating the person as a whole, the excretion of toxic lead occurs. Thus lower lead levels result. According to Herneeepetntc methodology, It Is the sum of all the symptoms and signs In each Individual ease of a disease that Is the main pointer In the choice of the remedy. This Is where despite many complaining of a slmillar condition, or suffering from a common complaint, different Homoeopathlc remedies may be prescribed. Lower blood lead levels result In fewer retrenchments as once a factory employee continually presents with excessively high blood lead levels, he risks losing his Job. A sample group of twenty volunteers was obtained from this factory and each werker tooit his prescribed medication and had blood and urine tests talten at regular Intervals over five months. The precise methodology and the consequent results are explained In this paper. The results were analysed using the computer program, SGPLUS,to obtain summary statistics. The blood lead results were subjected to The Wilcoxon Signed RankTest to determine the 11kreasesand decreases In the levels over the monitoring period. Due to sample size and the presence to only one group In the research, the remaining results were from visual observation. Based on the problems encountered during this study, recommendations are made If further research Is to be done along similar guidelines. A final conclusion closes the study. The urine porphyrin tests are not a true Indicator of lead metabolism or excretion and these results are therefore not valid. A slight change did occur In the blood lead levels as Is discussed. A great deal of progress remains to be made with the aim of lowering blood lead levels In lead-exposed factory workers. Homoeopathy has the potential to alleviate this serious problem of chronic lead toxicity. Further research could provide Industry with the answer. Presently the emphasis Is on prevention of excessively high blood lead levels with only removal from exposure as the last possible means of alleviating the problem. If a method to solving lead toxicity In the Industrial sphere can be found, It has numerous possibilities In nonIndustry. Thus an opening exists for Homoeopathy. / M

M.Tech. (Homoeopathy) / Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the involuntary loss of urine when sudden, external forces cause a brief increase in intra-abdominal pressure during stress events such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, bending, lifting, or exercise (ICS, 2013).SUI is a subcategory of urinary incontinence (UI) and affects middle aged women predominantly due to weakened support of the bladder by the pelvic floor and surrounding structures (Beji et al 2010). Damage to the pelvic floor and pelvic structures can cause the bladder and bladder neck to move or bend into problematic positions which adds unnecessary placement of external pressures on the bladder and in turn urine loss occurs (Badlani et al., 2009). The treatments available for treating SUI is behavioural changes, pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation or invasive surgeries. Pharmacological treatment options available for incontinence focus more on different subcategories of UI and has little effect on treating SUI directly and due to various side effects of these medications many patients avoid taking it (Shamilyan et al., 2012). There is currently no known effective treatment for SUI (ICS, 2013). SUI is the loss of small amounts or a few drops of urine at a time (Beers et al., 2006). Although the symptoms of this condition may not be life threatening it can interfere with the quality of life in those who suffer from loss of bladder control (Cheung et al., 2012). The negative effects can be seen in all areas physical activities, social activities, relationship strain and even emotional status of the patient (De Ridder et al, 2013). Many women report having SUI for several years and have learned to live with the incidents and use preventative methods when severity of SUI episodes worsen (Peterson, 2008). Additionally the symptom can be distressing on a physical level and consistent SUI episodes may cause recurrent urinary tract infections, irritation, pain and discomfort of the lower urinary tract (Beers et al., 2006). The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of the homoeopathic remedy Causticum 30cH on SUI episodes experienced by women by means of using a voiding diary and validated quality of life questionnaires. This was a five week double blind, placebo-controlled study, using forty female participants between the ages of 30-65 years old, and was conducted at a homoeopathic practice in Alberton, Johannesburg (Appendix B) under the supervision of a qualified homoeopath. There were three consultations, at the first consultation the study was explained and a full history taking and focused physical examination was conducted which included vital signs and a midstream urine dipstick test (Appendix E) to rule out any UTI. Participants were required to complete the QOLQ IIQ-7 SF (Appendix F) and the UDI-6 SF (Appendix G) (Uebersax et al., 1995). iii The first week no remedy was given (baseline week) and was followed by a four week treatment period. Participants had to complete a 7-day voiding diary (Appendix H) to evaluate symptom frequency for the duration of the study at home and were collected at the follow-up consultation after week three and week five. Participants were requested to complete the QOLQ IIQ-7 SF (Appendix F) and UDI-6 SF (Appendix G) (Uebersax et al., 1995) during the follow up consultations. Nocturnal voiding was also recorded on the voiding diaries. After week one the voiding diaries were collected and the participants were asked to select a remedy thereby, randomly allocating herself to either the experimental group or the control group. Data was collected and was analysed by STATKON. Frequencies, descriptives and crosstabulations were done for the demographic information between groups. Non-parametric test were utilized for the analysis because the sample size was small. The inter-group data analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney test to compare between the groups. Comparisons over time for each group were assessed using the Friedman test, and a Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test was done to ascertain where in time the differences had occurred. The Bonferrani adjustment/correction test is a post-hoc test and was done after the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test which is an adjustment to the original p value and a re-evaluation of p value of the comparisons (Becker, 2013)...

A research report submitted to the faculty of the Humanities at the University of Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the degree of Master of Arts in Demography and Population Studies, June 2017 / Background An estimated 2,000 women in Zambia suffer from obstetric fistula. Suggestions are that more women could be suffering from the same condition but do not report it due to fear of stigmatization. Incidences of obstetric fistula in Zambia may indicate that most pregnant women do not access the much-needed maternal health services, especially at the time of delivery. Therefore, understanding the factors that lead to obstetric fistula is vital for developing primary preventive interventions. This study estimated the prevalence and investigated the factors associated with obstetric fistula among women in Zambia. Methodology The study used data from the 2013-14 Zambia Demographic and Healthy Survey (ZDHS). A sample of 16,411 women aged 15-49 years old took part in the fistula module of the ZDHS. Descriptive and Complementary log-log regression model were conducted to assess the relationship between the covariates and obstetric fistula. Results The prevalence of obstetric fistula was estimated at 5.91 obstetric fistulas per 1000 women of reproductive ages. Age at first sex (AOR=0.86, CI: 0.77-0.97) and being in households of rich wealth status (AOR=0.36, CI: 0.14-0.79) were negatively associated with obstetric fistula. Conclusion Evidence suggest that in order to eradicate obstetric fistula in Zambia, there is need to implement interventions that will focus on improving the socioeconomic, health status, reproductive status, access to health care and use of healthcare resources of women. / XL2018

A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Health Sociology in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. / This study is founded on the argument that the health of a population is dependent on both structural factors and human agency. Literature shows that men are generally poor at attending to their health needs as compared to women, with statistics confirming higher mortality rates and lower life expectancy among them. This research study aimed to explore the factors influencing the health seeking behaviours of black South African working class men in Modimolle Township, Limpopo Province (South Africa). The study followed a qualitative approach where semi-structured face-to-face interviews were used for data gathering. A snowball non-probability sampling technique was used to select 15 black working class men between the ages of 29 and 50 years. All the interviews were conducted and audio recorded in Modimolle Township between two residential locations. The interviews were transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was employed for data analysis in which emerging themes bordered around the identities of men, their relationship to their bodies and their perceptions of health care systems. The construction of masculinities among men created multiple and varied ways to their health seeking behaviors. Men engaged in multiple practices ranging from preventive medical check-ups, the use of various types of enemas as well as the use of traditional medicines for the maintenance of their health. These practices were associated with the construction of a responsible masculinity among the participants which challenges the notion that masculinity is associated with negative health seeking behaviors among men. / MT2018

Abstract Background In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. An estimated 15 million malaria cases and 40 000 malaria deaths were reported in Kenya. Malaria during pregnancy is associated with adverse health outcomes for both the mother as well as her foetus. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between socioeconomic correlates and the uptake of malaria prevention methods during pregnancy. Methodology: Data was drawn from the 2008-2009 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey. A total of 8098 women aged 15-49 were analysed. Stata version 12 was used for the management and analysis of data. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis was carried out to meet the objectives of this study. Results: Forty-eight percent of women made use of Insecticide Treated Net (ITNs), 52 percent were administered with Intermittent Preventative Therapy (IPTp) and 36 percent made use of both measures during pregnancy. Multivariate results indicate that urban women were found to display slightly higher odds of ITN usage (1.13) and the combined usage of ITNs and IPTp (1.22) during pregnancy in comparison to rural women. Women with higher levels of education and women from middle income and rich households displayed higher odds of the uptake of these malaria prevention methods during pregnancy. Conclusion: This study has shown that socioeconomic indicators influence the usage of malaria prevention methods during pregnancy. It is therefore imperative that these factors be considered when designing and implementing policies aimed at improving the uptake of these measures during pregnancy.

Thesis (MTech (Environmental Health))--Peninsula Technikon, Cape Town, 2003 / Recent studies have reported an increased prevalence (19%) of respiratory symptoms among furm workers exposed to pesticides. International studies suggest excessive pesticide use and biological factors such as outdoor mites as important factors responsible for asthma symptoms. Studies in Korea suggest that spider mites may be responsible for allergic asthma symptoms among workers on fruit (citrus, apple, and . pear) furms. The fuming of wine and table grapes in South Africa involves about 3000 farms employing over 50,000 workers. Workers on table grape farms, in contrast to other fruit farms have not been previously investigated for occupational respiratory allergy to spider mites. Objectives • To determine the spectrum and prevalence of work-related allergy and asthma among table grape farm workers • To determine the environmental and host factors associated with work-related symptoms and allergic outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 207 workers employed on nine table grape farms in the Hex River valley of South Africa. A modified European Community Respiratory Health Survey questionnaire was used to interview workers. Skin prick tests used 8 commercial extracts of common airborne allergens (ALK) and potential occupational allergens, which included grape mould (Botrytis cinerea) and an in-house extract of spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. Specific IgE to Tetranychus urticae was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and to house dust mite (Dermatophagoides Pteronyssinus) and storage mite (Lepidoglyphus Destructor) using Pharrnacia CAPRAST. Results: The mean age of the workers was 36 years with a standard deviation of 11 years.