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Magister Scientiae (Physiotherapy) - MSc(Physio) / Research has clearly shown that all individuals will benefit from regular physical activity. Unfortunately, young adults including college and university students are not physically active on a regular basis worldwide. In the developing world particularly in Sub- Saharan Africa, physical inactivity along with tobacco use, poor diet and nutrition are increasingly parts of today’s lifestyle. Physical activity declines with age and the most important decline appear to be during the transition period from high school to university and during university years. The aim of this study was to assess the level of physical activity, to investigate the perceived constraints to physical activity and to determine whether socio-demographic characteristic have an influence on participation in physical activity and perceived constraints to physical activity among paramedical institutions students in Uganda. A cross-sectional study with descriptive quantitative design was conducted. Four hundred (400) paramedical institution students were selected using a stratified random sampling technique. A self-administered questionnaire adopted from the literature was used to collect the data. A response rate of 90% was obtained. Descriptive and inferential statistics using the statistical package for social sciences were used to analyze the data. The relationships and associations between different variables were determined by carrying out significant tests using chi-square tests. Alpha level was set at 0.05. The mean age of the sample was 22.44 years (SD = 2.03). Males constituted 73.9% and females constituted 26.1% of the sample. Students from eight (8) health professional courses participated in the study. Over half (59%) of participants were classified as physically active and 41% were classified as inactive or sedentary. For male participants, lack of the right equipment to exercise and wanting to do other things in their free time were perceived as the major constraints to physical activity. For female participants, lack of motivation and tiredness after exercise were perceived as the major constraints to physical activity. The findings of this study demonstrate that there is an influence of socio-demographic characteristics such as gender, year of the study and different departments/schools on participation in physical activity and perceived constraints to physical activity. They also indicate the need of health promotion intervention aiming at promoting physical activity among paramedical institution students in Uganda. / South Africa

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive element in the 238U decay series that is found in high concentrations in certain geological formations such as Caves. Exposure to high concentrations of radon has been positively linked to the incidence of lung cancer. This study used Electret ion chambers and the RAD7 continuous radon monitor to measure radon concentrations in the Cango Caves in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Measurements were taken during summer i.e. February 2004 and March 2005. The results for the radon activity concentrations range from the minimum of about 800 Bq.m-3 to a maximum of 2600 Bq.m-3. The two techniques give very similar results, though the Electret ion chamber results appear to be consistently higher by a few percent where measurements were taken at the same locations. A mathematical model has been developed to investigate the radon concentrations in the Cave. Diffusion and ventilation have been considered as mechanisms for explaining the distribution of radon concentrations. The ventilation rate in the Cave has been estimated under certain assumptions, and it is found to be about 7 ×10−6 s−1 for the Van Zyl hall which is the first large chamber in the Cave. The radon concentration increases as one goes deeper into the Cave, but then becomes fairly constant for the deeper parts. The annual effective dose that the guides are exposed to in the Cave as a result of the radon concentrations, depends strongly on the time that they spend in the Cave and in which, halls they spend most of their time in the Cave. The initial results indicate an annual effective dose of 4-10 mSv, but this needs to be further investigated. / South Africa

Magister Scientiae (Physiotherapy) - MSc(Physio) / According to literature, particularly from data obtained from the World Health Organisation, physical inactivity or sedentarism is one of the leading causes of the major non-communicable diseases, which contributes substantially to the global burden of diseases, death and disability. The burden of mortality, morbidity and disability attributable to non-communicable diseases is currently greatest and is continuing to grow in the developing countries. Most declines in physical activity are during the transition from high school to college or university. The aim of the study was to ascertain perceptions of physical activity, specifically; perceived benefits of, perceived barriers and perceived helpful motivational factors to physical activity among tertiary institution students in Rwanda, and to find out whether demographic and background characteristics have an influence on these perceptions. / South Africa

Master of Public Health - MPH / Each year approximately 600 000 infants, most of them in Sub-Saharan Africa are born with HIV infection as a result of mother to child transmission of HIV. Whereas significant progress has been made in reduction of mother to child transmission of HIV in developed countries, the situation remains desperate in developing countries. Progress has been hampered by shortage of staff, facilities, limited access to voluntary counselling and testing and lack of support for women by their partners and communities. The challenge is to increase voluntary counselling and testing uptake during antenatal care. Onandjokwe district in Northern Namibia is currently introducing the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission Program (PMTCT). It has been found the previous PMTCT programs have failed because they adopted a top down approach where there was no community consultation. This study was conducted to explore the community perceptions, knowledge and attitudes regarding mother to child transmission of HIV through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews of key community members. / South Africa

Magister Scientiae (Physiotherapy) - MSc(Physio) / Physical inactivity together with overweight and obesity has emerged as a major health risk factor for chronic disease of lifestyle as coronary heart disease, diabetes type 2, and hypertension affecting adolescents with physical disabilities in developed countries. This has contributed to the increase of social and economic costs of healthcare and social services in these countries. Review of literature has revealed that little has been documented about the status of adolescents with physical disabilities in developing countries. This study, therefore, aimed at establishing the degree of physical inactivity among high school adolescents with physical disabilities in Kenya. / South Africa

The present study sought to investigate the effects of a Standard workstation, designed for “average” users, on an anthropometrically diverse sample of computer operators, and to assess whether physical and perceptual responses, as well as performance efficiency were dependent on stature. Further investigation assessed the influence of personalised adjustments to the Standard workstation, based on the anthropometric characteristics of the subjects, as well as the introduction of a custom-designed ‘floating’ wrist support, on subject responses. All subjects (n=30) were tested in each of the three workstations: Standard, Personalised and Wrist Support. For analysis of responses in the Standard workstation, subjects were divided into three groups depending on their stature: Short (<1650mm), Medium (1650mm to 1800mm), Tall (>1800mm). The musculoskeletal responses indicated that Tall subjects were forced to adopt the most awkward general body postures as a result of the low computer screen. However, the low screen allowed for the Short subjects to adopt the most natural general body postures, although levels of muscular activity in the upper trapezius suggest that the muscular load imposed on both Short and Tall subjects was significantly greater than that imposed on the Medium subjects. In addition, the Medium subjects’ perceptions of the Standard workstation dimensions support the fact that this workstation was better suited to users with “average” morphologies. The responses elicited in the Personalised and Wrist Support workstations were improved significantly when compared to the Standard workstation. Joint angles were more natural, upper trapezius EMG was reduced, standard of performance improved and perceptual responses indicated a diminished incidence of body and visual discomfort, as well as greater perceived satisfaction with these workstation dimensions. The improved physical responses suggest a decrease in the risk of developing cumulative trauma disorders. Although subjects were unaccustomed to the wrist support device, this workstation demonstrated a further reduction in the range of wrist angles, as well as a general positive attitude towards the concept.

The prosperity of small micro and medium enterprises (SMME’s) in the construction industry is vital for the improvement of the South African economy. Unfortunately, the poor safety record of this industry negatively affects the sustainability of SMME’s and augments the loss of human lives. Owners and managers of SMME’s in the construction industry are usually financially fragile and unaware of the direct and an indirect cost associated with injuries that may result in potential profit loss and ultimately, bankruptcy. The construction industry continues to lead with high levels of fatalities and injuries compared to other industrial sectors. High levels of non-compliance with health and safety legislation in the construction industry necessitate creative interventions to improve health and safety standards. The objective of the research was to establish to what extent SMME’s comply with health and safety in the construction industry. Research was done by means of a survey questionnaire and the findings concluded that government laws are appropriate however the enforcing of such law needs attention. Furthermore, most owners are aware of the required legislation but the competitive nature allude that “that shortcuts are taken”.