Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Background: Tuberculosis still continues to be a global public health problem and leads to many deaths. In an effective TB control strategy, TB patients are allocated to community care workers who provide care to these patients in their homes. It is important to understand the experiences of community care workers in order to strengthen TB control in the country. Objective(s): The purpose of this study was to explore lived experiences of community care workers of supporting patients taking Tuberculosis treatment. Methods: The design of the study was phenomenological, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual. The study site was Hlogotlou area in Limpopo Province. The target population was all community care workers supporting patients on Tuberculosis treatment. Purposive sampling was used with a sample of 13 participants, which was determined by the saturation of data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using an interview guide and all sessions were audio recorded. The data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: The results highlighted certain challenges met by community care workers. Patients thought that community care workers are there to kill them with treatment, they had mood swings during treatment and this caused them to use vulgar words and become aggressive to their community care workers. Most community care workers did not have enough information about Tuberculosis. This made it difficult for them to support patients on tuberculosis treatment. Conclusions: A good relationship with patients enhances treatment compliance. The researcher recommends that intensive training about tuberculosis should be provided to community care workers.

Thesis (M. A. (Nursing Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Introduction: Health seeking behaviours are explained as a dynamic interaction of cognitive, behavioural and effective elements, focusing on the attitudes and beliefs of individuals preceded by a decision-making process that is governed by individual or community norms within the primary health level context to explain and predict health behaviours. Aim: The purpose of this study was to describe factors contributing to health seeking behaviour of patients at Sister Mashiteng Clinic, Nkangala District of Steve Tshwete Local Municipality, Mpumalanga Province. Methodology: A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was followed in this study. A non- probability purposive sampling was used to select 15 patients who voluntarily agreed to participate in this study. The researcher conducted semi-structured, one-on-one interviews which were tape recorded and transcribed. Data collection was done and analysed using the Tesch’s inductive, descriptive coding technique. Results: Four themes emerged, namely, explanations related to the factors contributing to health seeking behaviour; reasons towards missing scheduled appointments behaviours; views about health seeking behaviours related to services provided at the clinics; related/existing health believes amongst patients. To ensure the trustworthiness of the research data, Lincoln and Guba’s framework, as outlined by Polit and Beck (2010), was adhered to throughout the study. Conclusion: Findings of the study revealed that the factors contributing to health seeking behaviour in Steve Tshwete clinics are behaviours that were linked to prescribed treatment, test and treat during consultation in the clinic, socio-economic background, behaviours of missing scheduled appoints or treatment, health seeking behaviour due to avoidance of running out of treatment, lack of reliable transport blamed for health seeking, patients trust of private doctors and family influence.

MPH / Department of Public Health / Background: TB and HIV/AIDS were identified as priority healthcare problems of current years worldwide. Notable concerns (2878) were raised in Vhembe District Municipality because of an increase in patients with TB, including re-treatment patients (Department of Health, 2017). Purpose: The main aim of the study was to investigate the factors associated with the increase of new TB infection among clients in Thulamela Municipality, South Africa. Methodology: A quantitative descriptive survey design was used to conduct this study. Census sampling or total population sampling technique was used to select the respondents who were patients seeking treatment for TB from the designated clinics within Thulamela. Self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents. Data were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences version 25.0. Results: out of a high proportion of the respondents 45 % (n=98) respondents were taking ARV treatment while 27% (n=58) were taking respiratory disease treatment at the time of TB diagnosis. Moreover, 59% (n=169) respondents reported being next to a coughing person before diagnosed with Tuberculosis. Conclusion and recommendations: The results discovered that most respondents stayed in the dusty area for more than three years. Educating the community about how staying and working in dusty areas contribute to TB infection may decrease the rate of infection. / NRF

Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of PhD in Community Psychology in the Department of Psychology, University of Zululand, 2007. / This study evaluates two psychosocial support intervention programmes for vulnerable children. Psychosocial support intervention programmes are geared towards strengthening of participation, intergration and cooperation between members of the community. The present study follows upon recommendations by Killian (2003) that more research needed to be done on the effectiveness of psychosocial intervention programmes on vulnerable children. It falls within the framework of a person-centred approach towards primary prevention. This research thesis aimed to explore the community volunteers' experiences on the impact and effectiveness of the psychosocial intervention programmes on vulnerable children. Twenty four community volunteers were interviewed for this research. Qualitative measures were utilized for data collection purposes. A standardized interview schedule, comprising four open-ended questions was used to elicit in-depth responses from the research participants. To test the appropriateness of the research questions, a pilot study was conducted on eight participants who had been sensitized on this programme and also formed part of the bigger research process. Data was analyzed using qualitative measures to elicit in-depth responses from the research participants. Based on the themes that emerged from the analyzed data, the evaluation process of these two intervention programmes yielded positive results, in terms of effectiveness and impact on the lives of vulnerable children in the communities. The thematic analysis of the collected interview data showed significantly that all the research participants appreciated the skills offered and learned from participating in the programme. They reported increased confidence in dealing with various psychosocial challenges faced by vulnerable children in their communities. A common theme that emerged in the present study both in the individual and group interviews, was the community volunteer's renewed sense of community participation, belonging and empowerment. From the research participants' responses, this study has managed to meet the aims and objectives of the training programme, to make people rich in their understanding of children who face adversity and difficult circumstances in their lives. Providing community members with a sensitization programme offering psychosocial support to vulnerable children, then becomes a sustainable, empowering and ongoing process for children affected by HIV/AIDS, poverty and violence. The main findings suggest that the community intervention programme offering psychosocial support for vulnerable children is effective and has had a positive impact on the community volunteers. In terms of values of the community psychology model, this evaluation is meaningful since it shows that community volunteers benefited from participating in this programme in an empowering way, while gaining valuable skills and disseminating knowledge to vulnerable children in their communities. This thesis offers suggestions for future research on vulnerable children with more emphasis on community poverty alleviation strategies. Finally, it concludes that community oriented programmes offering psychosocial support to children affected by HIV/AIDS, poverty and violence are appropriate and ideal interventions to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience. / National Research Foundation

In the context of HIV high infection rate in South Africa, an assumption can be made that there is a high prevalence of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders or cognitive linguistic deficits. The aim of this study was to determine assess whether highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) affected the cognitive – linguistic abilities of individuals living with HIV and AIDS before and after HAART use; and to determine whether their functional performance in terms of engaging in activities of daily living was affected by HAART use. Adults living with HIV and AIDs were recruited through purposive convenience sampling to participate in the study. They were divided into three groups. The experimental and cross sectional group included participants who were HIV infected and initiated HAART. The comparison group included participants who elected not to start HAART. Participants in all three group were assessed using the Cognitive – Linguistic Quick Test and were also required to fill out a structured interview scale at baseline, four and eight months. For the experimental group 55 participants were tested at baseline, 55 at four months and 52 at eight months after HAART initiation. The comparison group included 21 participants who tested at baseline, ten at four months and nine at eight months. The cross sectional group included different participants who recruited at baseline (55) before HAART initiation, then again at four (44) and eight months (42) after HAART initiation. Descriptive analysis revealed that the mean scores for both the Cognitive – Linguistic Quick Test (CLQT) and the structured interview schedule (IS) in all the cognitive domains increased for all three groups from four and eight months after testing. However the severity ratings provided by the CLQT indicated that neurocognitive deficits were still prevalent among the participants after HAART intiation. The most impaired cogntive – linguistic ability was executive functions and the least impaired was language. One way ANOVA analysis on the CLQT and IS revealed that was a signiifcant difference in performance between the three groups at baseline, four and eight months. Repeated measures analysis revealed significant differences or improvements within participants across the three time periods. The greatest improvement was observed from baseline to eight months especially on the CLQT. ANCOVA analysis on the Cognitive- Linguistic Quick Test indicated that education had a major impact on cognitive – linguistic abilities followed by age and CD4 count. However, ANCOVA analysis on the structured interview scale revealed that the effect of time, participant group and to a lesser extent age influenced the participants cognitive – linguistic abilities when it came to perfroming activities of daily living. Quantitave inquiry using content analysis showed that participants in all three groups cited attention, followed by visual and language problems as hindering their abilities to perform activities of daily living. The implications from this study revealed that even though HAART improves cognitive –linguistic abilities, neurocognitive deficits were still prevalent. Therefore findings suggest that health professionals need to monitor the neurocognitive impairments of their patients so as determine levels of functional performance.

Thesis (M. (Nursing)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Caring for terminally ill cancer patients is considered stressful and heartbreaking. Oncology nurses often consider leaving the nursing profession because of the high levels of stress experienced by these health care professionals. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences and the practices of nurses who care for terminally ill cancer patients in the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital in the Capricorn District of the Limpopo Province. The objectives of this study were to explore and describe the experiences and practices of nurses who care for terminally ill cancer patients and further to describe the relationship between certain demographic variables and nurses’ experiences of death. An additional objective was to develop recommendations and strategies that might assist management of the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital with the development of appropriate skills and the implementation of emotional support that could assist nurses who care for dying cancer patients in the oncology wards. The study followed a phenomenological, descriptive, exploratory and contextual research design, which assisted the researcher to describe and explore the experience and practices of nurses caring for terminally ill cancer patients. Semi-structured interview method was used to collect data, making use of an interview guide, was used because it is a more free-flowing approach, with its structure being limited only by focusing on the research. Field notes were captured during the data collection session by the researcher. A voice recorder was used to capture all the interview sessions. The initial data analysis started with the researcher listening to the recordings and transcribing verbatim all statements made by the participants. Tesch’s open coding data analysis method was used by following the proposed eight steps to analyse qualitative data as outlined in Creswell (2013). Ethical standards as set in Babbie (2013) were adhered to by the researcher. The researcher requested permission to conduct the study from the Limpopo Department of Health Ethics Research Committee and informed consent was obtained from the participants before collecting data. Privacy of the participants was ensured as participants were never called by their names. In the study participants shared different views with respect to caring for dying cancer patients. Some participants regarded caring for cancer patients as stressful and heartbreaking. Other oncology nurses blamed the management for not providing them with courses to assist them with caring for dying cancer patient, nor providing debriefing sessions for them. On the other hand, some oncology nurses believed that relocating to other wards was a better solution. The participants suggested the following improvements for caring for dying cancer patients; oncology nurses should be offered short courses to assist them with the challenges that they come across with regard to caring for dying cancer patients. Oncology nurses need support from the management and colleagues in order to cope with the workload. Oncology nurses need psychological assistance to help them with the psychological stressors they experience. Family members and patients need health education on how to deal anticipatory grief. / University of Limpopo

MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy Studies

MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy Studies

MSc (Microbiology) / Department of Microbiology

MCur / Department of Advanced Nursing Science