PhDPH / Department of Public Health / The benefits of breastfeeding, particularly exclusive breastfeeding, are well recognized. It can reduce the risk of mortality related to malnutrition, otitis media and respiratory infection. Breastfeeding may also decrease the risk of obesity in later life for infants who have been breastfed for more than six months. Besides, breastfeeding improves cognition, and children who have been breastfed show higher intelligence quotient test scores and improved school performance. In addition, long-period breastfeeding is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer for mothers. The World Health Organization and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund recommended exclusive breastfeeding for six months and breastfeeding to two years and beyond. However, this study showed that only 27% of children under six months have had been exclusively breastfed. In this situation, an intervention programme was required. The aim of this study was to develop an intervention programme to promote exclusive breastfeeding strategies in Limpopo Province. Intervention mapping was used to guide the development of a programme. A convergent, parallel mixed-method was used wherein qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed concurrently. A qualitative approach was used to assess the implementation of exclusive breastfeeding and to explore challenges experienced by health care workers in the implementation of exclusive breastfeeding in Limpopo Province. This was carried out by means of in-depth interviews with 30 professional nurses. Trustworthiness was ensured through credibility, confirmability, dependability and transferability. A quantitative approach was used to determine the factors that influence exclusive breastfeeding. Reliability and validity of the instrument was ensured through extensive literature review and test-retest methodology. Questionnaires were distributed to 400 respondents. Tesch’s eight steps of data analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 26, was used to analyse the quantitative data. The results were merged, and the interpretation discussed. Five higher-order themes emerged from quantitative data analysis. The themes emerged from qualitative data were confirmed by the findings from statistical data, thus merging both qualitative and quantitative data. Findings were presented to the stakeholders, managers and dieticians and their inputs further confirmed and supported the findings. The findings informed the development of an intervention programme. The intervention comprises of the three components, training of community health workers, healths talks focusing on lactating mothers and health talks focusing on families and community. The developed intervention was validated by the stakeholders and the results were analysed through simple descriptive statistics where the data were summarized using frequency distributions and graphic representations. The results revealed that the programme was feasible, compatible and applicable to current practice. Recommendations were made and topics for further research were also suggested. / NRF

BScnut / Department of Nutrition

MSCPNT / Department of Nutrition / Hypertension remains a major public health problem that needs different comprehensive health strategies to deal with it. Indigenous vegetables, Blackjack in particular, have been shown to possess anti-hypertensive properties that are attributed to bioactive chemical substances such as phytochemicals, fiber, antioxidants as well as micronutrients that include potassium, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, zinc, iron and copper. The use of indigenous vegetables in combination with the conventional hypertension treatment may reduce hypertensive conditions; hence, the purpose of this study was to determine Blackjack nutritional knowledge and consumption by hypertensive patients. A cross-sectional study employing both quantitative and qualitative methods was conducted on 275 hypertensive participants at Mphambo and Mutale Health Centers, Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, South Africa. A questionnaire was used to collect data on participants’ Blackjack nutritional knowledge, Blackjack availability around their households as well as their Blackjack consumption patterns and nutritional status. The Blackjack nutritional knowledge data was triangulated with focus group discussions and participants’ nutritional status was assessed by anthropometric and dietary intake methods. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated and dietary intake frequency from selected foods was determined. Blood pressure was measured using Microlife automatic blood pressure monitor. The findings indicated that most hypertensive participants had poor knowledge of the nutritional importance of Blackjack and its associated medicinal contribution on hypertension management. Participants were unable to mention different diseases that can be prevented or managed by Blackjack, which was mostly consumed once a week with porridge during the summer season. Hypertensive patients were consuming high amounts of sodium and less amounts of minerals that are known to regulate blood pressure, such as potassium and magnesium. Hypertensive patients had high prevalence of overweight and obesity and most were either in hypertension stage 1 or stage 2. Lack of Blackjack nutritional knowledge may have contributed to a decreased consumption of Blackjack by hypertensive patients. The health professionals should promote the nutritional benefits of Blackjack in rural areas, particularly to hypertensive patients to raise awareness of Blackjack’s benefits in disease prevention and management. / NRF

Department of Nutrition / MSCPNT

DEd (Curriculum Studies) / Department of Curriculum Studies / Although on its introduction the focus of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) was to improve health and nutritional status of South African school children, it was put in place to improve school attendance, curb absenteeism and drop-out by children of school going age as a result of hunger and poverty. It was also meant to improve the learning capacity of children since access to nutritious meals has the potential to improve their concentration levels during instructional discourses, which can enhance the quality of educational outcomes. This study explored the views of education stakeholders on the challenges they encountered in implementing the NSNP in achieving its educational goals at two schools in the Vhembe District in South Africa. Specifically, the study investigated how the NSNP influences school access, attendance and participation at schools that are benefiting from the NSNP in an endeavour to establish strategies for improving the quality of schooling. Abraham Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs was applied to explain how children’s basic needs can be a foundation to their educational needs and aspirations. A case study design involving two schools was adopted for the study and the qualitative research approach was employed. Purposive sampling method was employed to select two secondary school principals, ten secondary school class teachers per school, ten learners who were beneficiaries of the NSNP and ten of their counterparts who were not on NSNP per school, and two circuit NSNP officers. Individual and focus group interviews, documentary study and observations were used to collect data, which were analysed thematically. The findings of the study revealed that: the National School Nutrition Programme is a credible strategy for learners from poor backgrounds to access schooling and reduce their school drop-out; there was no clear difference in academic performance between leaners who participated and those who opted out of the Programme; educators felt overwhelmed by administrative work for the feeding programme, which compromised on their co-responsibilities; there were inadequate workshops to equip service providers of the Programme; food was provided under poor hygiene conditions which made some learners to opt out of the Programme; Programme records had inaccurate information. Based on the main study findings, the study recommended that the programme should continue as the majority of learners were benefiting; the Programme should have its own v administrative personnel; there should be regular staff development workshops on the Programme; schools should erect proper infrastructure for food storage and service; a multi- ministerial team of experts from health, education Programme; and all schools that have the Programme should maintain nutrition gardens for provision of fresh food. Finally, for the effective role-taking by duty-bearers for the Programme, the study concluded by recommending a model called the Increasing Achievement Mode for the National School Nutrition Programme.

MA (Xitsonga) / Ehansi ka Senthara ya M. E. R. Mathivha ya Tindzimi ta Afrika, Vutshila ni Ndhavuko / See the attached abstract below

MSCPNT / Department of Nutrition / Malnutrition is a problem facing virtually every country in the world. Inappropriate feeding practices such as bottle feeding, early introduction of weaning foods, lack of variety in the diet are a known major cause of the onset of malnutrition in young children. Lack of nutrition knowledge, particularly about feeding practices, is critical as it affects the nutritional status of children. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of caregivers’ nutrition knowledge and feeding practices on the nutritional status of 2 to 5 years old children in the Makhuduthamaga Municipality, South Africa. A crosssectional study with an analytical component was carried out in the Makhuduthamaga Municipality in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. One hundred and twenty children aged 2 to 5 years and their caregivers were conveniently sampled from four villages. A validated questionnaire was used to gather demographic information, caregivers’ nutritional knowledge and feeding practices. Anthropometric measurements taken were weight, height and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) of the children as well as weight and height of the caregivers. Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized. Chi-square was used to determine the influence of caregiver’s nutrition knowledge and feeding practices on the nutritional status of children. The significance level was set at p< 0.05. Most caregivers (66.7%) were between the ages of 19 and 35 years. More than half (54.2%) of the children were male. Most of the caregivers (70%) had attended school up to secondary level and only 4.2% had obtained a tertiary qualification. Most of the caregivers (85%) were unemployed. Children were mostly (70.2%) cared for by their biological mothers. Some caregivers reported not to have any source of nutrition education (41.7%), while 43.3% reported that health professionals were their source of nutrition education. Both nutrition knowledge and feeding practices were not satisfactory in the current study. Almost all children (94.2%) were breastfed at some stage in their lives. However, 47.5% were given infant formula while they were still less than six months old. It was found that more than half of the caregivers (62.5%) introduced solids foods before 6 months. Maize meal soft porridge was reported as the main solid food first introduced to 66.7% of the children, followed by infant cereals (25%). Stunting was found in 41.7% of children. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was observed amongst both caregivers and children. Overweight and obesity prevalent of caregivers was at 30.8%. No significant correlation was observed between the caregivers’ nutrition knowledge, the feeding practices and the nutritional status of children. However, family income showed positive correlation with the nutritional status of children. Nutrition education strategies intertwined with economic empowerment of mothers should be enforced to capacitate caregivers to voluntarily make proper feeding practices. / NRF

MSCNPT / Department of Nutrition / Context: A survey made worldwide (including South Africa) revealed that most teenagers are overweight and obese and that they eat little nutritious food. Obesity and overweight are public health problems and need to be addressed from a community perspective. The reason for exploring this problem in this study was that South Africa has one of the highest rates of overweight and obesity in the world among urban and rural black women. Objective: Investigating the eating and lifestyle habits of overweight and obese female teenagers in Thulamela Local Municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa. Design, setting and participants: This was an exploratory, descriptive study conducted in 2006–2007 amongst 125 female teenagers aged 13 to 18 years from rural schools in Thulamela Local Municipality. A hundred and twenty-five questionnaires were completed and data were gathered on the demographics, social and lifestyle habits, nutrition-related problems, dietary patterns and dietary history of the participants. Measurements: Eating and lifestyle habits, physical activity, meaning of healthy and unhealthy dietary habits, weight, height and body mass index were measured. Results: Seventy percent of the respondents actively consumed three meals in a day, 83% consumed starchy snacks between meals, whilst 72% of the respondents carried lunchboxes to school. Regarding lifestyle habits, 88% of the respondents slept more hours than recommended (8 hours) 88% performed sedentary activities and 66% did physical activities such as walking. Conclusion: The results pointed out unhealthy eating and lifestyle habits influencing teenagers’ weight. Identified factors must be considered in order to develop tailored nutrition interventions to improve teenagers’ consciousness about adopting a healthy lifestyle. / NRF

MCur / Department of Advanced Nursing Science / Malnutrition is globally considered the key risk factors of illness and death which affect over 90 million children under the age of five. The study aim was to determine the perception of caregivers regarding factors contributing to malnutrition in children under 5 years in the Vhembe District of the Limpopo province. A qualitative approach, explorative, descriptive and contextual design was used in the study. Nine participants were sampled through simple random sampling. Data was collected through in- depth individual interview and was analysed through Tesch‘s analytical approach. Measures to ensure trustworthiness and ethical consideration were adhered to throughout the study. Three themes emerged from study, namely: caregivers perceived contributory factors to malnutrition, financial difficulties and help that were sought from various available resources. In conclusion, feeding practices to most of the participants was a challenge, they had financial difficulties since they were not working and depended on social and child grants for living, and the study recommends the development of strategies to assist caregivers in preventing malnutrition in children. / NRF

MSCAGR (Agricultural Economics) / Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness / ABSTRACT This study was carried out to determine how members of households perceive economic benefits of production and marketing of Moringa in the Thulamela Local Municipality. The study adopted the snowball sampling procedure to identify the population of members of households who produce and market Moringa. Simple random sampling procedure was adopted to select 146 participants from the identified population. The Cross tabulations and Probit regression model were used as the analytical tools for this study. The results of the study revealed amongst others, that majority of members of households who were producing Moringa had no access to Moringa markets, and most of them were aware of the economic benefits of Moringa. The statistical significant variables which influenced the perceptions of members of households regarding economic benefits of production and marketing of Moringa were level of education (p < 0.01), Moringa farming experience (p < 0.05), access to market (p < 0.05), as well as the access to information (p < 0.05) about the production and the demand of Moringa produce. The study concluded that majority of respondents perceived that the production and marketing of Moringa would help to achieve sustainable livelihood for people living in Thulamela Local Municipality, while others were of the view that Moringa has the potential to improve nutrition, boost food security and foster rural development. The study recommended that establishment of Moringa markets, formation of Moringa cooperatives and promotional campaigns to educate members of households about the economic benefits of Moringa should be enhanced. / NRF