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School nutrition and standard hygiene requirements in the Bushbuckridge Sub-District, Mpumalanga Province, South AfricaMkhari, Victor Caleb January 2012 (has links)
Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2012 / Introduction: An observational study was undertaken to assess the level of compliance of school
nutrition with standard hygiene requirements prescribed by Regulations R918 of 30 July 1999.
Aim: To assess the level of compliance of Primary School Nutrition Programme with standard hygiene
requirements prescribed by Regulations R918 of 30 July 1999 in Bushbuckridge area.
Study: The study was conducted in primary schools located in Bushbuckridge sub-district with an
estimated population of 611.048 and 212 primary schools.
Method: Observational study was conducted in schools and information regarding food preparation
area, food storage rooms, environmental hygiene, personal hygiene and food transportation was
recorded.
Sampling: A random sampling was conducted to select schools in each circuit. Thirty two percent was
used to determine the sample size. Sixty eight primary schools of a population of 212 were select from
the various circuits in Bushbuckridge sub-district. Data was gathered using observation method. An
observation data gathering tool was developed to collect the data that was needed for the study.
Results: The study revealed that 24.3% of the schools prepare their food in kitchens that meet the
standards and the requirements prescribed by the health regulations. However, 75.7% of the schools
prepare their food in structures that do not comply with the health regulations. The study on
environmental hygiene revealed that 95.7% of the schools do not provide toiletries in their latrines most
of which are not waterborne. The study further revealed that 87% of the schools do not provide soap
for hand washing in their latrines. The study on personal hygiene revealed that 61.4% of the schools do
not provide protective clothing to the food handlers who prepare food for learners. The study on food
transportation revealed that 100% of the vehicles used to deliver food in schools do not comply with
the standards and the hygiene requirements prescribed by the health regulations.
Conclusion: It can thus be concluded that the level of compliance of the school nutrition programme to
the standards and the requirements prescribed by Regulations R918 of 30 July 1999 is minimal.
Measures of precautions to safeguard food contaminations that may result in outbreaks are not
adequately followed. The level of environmental hygiene responsible for the spread of most of the
diseases in children is poor. There is a high percentage of non-compliance to the standards and the
requirements prescribed by Regulations R918 of 30 July 1999.
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Epidemiological and clinical status of South African primary school children : investing in the future.Jinabhai, Champaklal Chhaganlal. January 2001 (has links)
The physical, psychological and social development of school children has been
neglected - partly because they were seen as healthy "survivors" of the ravages of
childhood illnesses, and partly because of the way in which health services are
organized (such as the traditional under-five maternal and child health (MCH)
services and the curative PHC clinic services). From the age of five years children
undergo rapid and profound bio-psycho-social development, to emerge in
adolescence as the next generation of leaders and workers. Securing their future
growth and development is vital for any society to be economically and socially
productive.
A substantial body of national and intemational literature has recognised the
detrimental impact of helminthic infections and micronutrient deficiencies on the
physical and psychological health and development of school children; which
requires appropriate nutritional interventions. Concern has been expressed that
these adverse biological, physical and social deprivations have a cumulative
impact on several dimensions of children's growth. Most important, apart from
stunting physical growth, is the inhibition of educational development of school
children. Recent evidence strongly suggests a powerful interaction between
physical and psychosocial growth and development of children. Inhibition of either
component of a child's well-being has adverse implications. Conversely,
investments in the physical and psychological development of children are likely to
generate substantial health and educational benefits and are a worthy investment
to secure a healthy future generation.
In summary, there are a number of reasons for, and benefits of, investing in
school-based health and nutrition interventions. They are likely to improve
learning at school and enhance educational outcomes; create new opportunities to
meet unfulfilled needs; redress inequity; build on investments in early child
development and promote and protect youth and adolescent development. Health
and nutrition interventions such as school feeding programmes, micronutrient
supplementation and deworming aim to improve primary outcomes of macro and
micro-nutrient deficiencies, parasitic and cognitive status; as well as secondary
outcomes of developing integrated comprehensive school health policies and
programmes. This rationale served as the conceptual framework for this study. This
theoretical framework views improvements of the health, nutritional, cognitive and
scholastic development status of school children as the primary focus of policies,
strategies and programmes in the health and education sector. This focus constitutes
the central core of this thesis. Optimum social development requires investments in
both the health and educational development of school children, so as to maximise
the synergies inherent in each sector and to operationalise national and international
strategies and programmes.
As part of the larger RCT study a comprehensive nutritional, health and
psychological profile of rural school children was established through a
community-based cross-sectional study. Eleven schools were randomly selected
from the Vulamehlo Magisterial District in southern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Within
each school, all Standard 1 pupils, aged between 8 - 10 years, were selected
giving a final study sample of 579 children. Some of the observed prevalence's
were stunting (7.3%), wasting (0.7%), anaemia (16.5%) (as measured by
haemoglobin below 12 g/dl), vitamin A deficiency (34.7%) (as measured by serum
retinol below 20 ug/dl) and serum ferritin below 12ng/ml (28.1%). This study
established that micronutrient deficiency, parasitic infestations and stunting remain
significant public health problems among school-aged children in South Africa.
Combining micronutrient supplementation and deworming are likely to produce
significant health and educational gains.
To determine the impact of single and combined interventions (anthelminthic
treatment and micronutrient supplements) on nutritional status and scholastic and
cognitive performance of school children, a double-blind randomised placebo
controlled trial was undertaken among 579 children 8-10 years of age. There was
a significant treatment effect of vitamin A on serum retinol (P<0.01), and the
suggestion of an additive effect between vitamin A fortification and deworming.
Vitamin A and iron fortification also produced a significant treatment effect on
transferrin saturation (P<0.05). Among the dewormed group, anthelminthic
treatment produced a significant decrease in the prevalence of helminthic
infections (P<0.02), but with no significant between-group treatment effect
(P>0.40). Scholastic and cognitive scores and anthropometric indicators were no
different among the treated or the untreated children. Fortified biscuits improved
micronutrient status among rural primary school children; vitamin A combined with
deworming had a greater impact on micronutrient status than vitamin A fortification
on its own; while anthelminthic treatment produced a significant reduction in the
overall prevalence of parasite infection.
The prevalence's of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Schistosoma
haematobium declined significantly sixteen weeks post-treatment. The levels of
both prevalence and intensity in the untreated group remained constant. The cure
rates over the first two weeks of the study were 94.4% for Ascaris lumbricoides,
40% for Trichuris trichiura, and 72.2% for Schistosoma haematobium. The benefits
of targeted school-based treatment in reducing the prevalence and intensity of
infection supports the South African government's focus of using school-based
interventions as part of an integrated parasite control programme. These
strategies and programmes were found to be consistent with the
recommendations of WHO and UNICEF.
The nutritional transition facing developing and middle-income countries also has
important implications for preventive strategies to control chronic degenerative
diseases (Popkin B, 1994; WHO 1998; Monyeki KO, 1999). This descriptive study,
comparing BMI data of school children over three time periods, found a rising
prevalence of overweight and obesity among South African school children.
Obesity as a public health problem requires to be addressed from a population or
community perspective for its prevention and management.
Environmental risk factors such as exposure to atmospheric pollution remain
significant hazards for children. Lead poisoning is a significant, preventable risk
factor affecting cognitive and scholastic development among children. The
prevalence of elevated blood lead (PbB) levels in rural and semi-urban areas of
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) as well as the risk factors for elevation of PbB among
children in informal settlements were examined. This study investigated over 1200
rural and urban children in two age groups: 3-5 and 8-10 years old. Average PbB
level in peri-urban Besters, an informal settlement in the Durban metropolitan
region, was 10 ug/dl with 5% of the children showing PbB level of greater than 25
ug/dl. By comparison, average PbB value in Vulamehlo, a rural area located
90-120 km from Durban, was 3.8 ug/dl and 2% of the children's PbB levels were
greater than 10 ug/dl.
Since the cognitive and scholastic performance of school children was a primary
outcome measure in this study, it was important to explore other factors that
influenced this variable. The performance scores of all four tests in the battery,
among the cohort of a thousand rural and urban children, were in the lower range.
The educational deficit identified in this test battery clearly indicates the impact of
the inferior "Bantu" educational system that African children have experienced in
South Africa.
Aspects of the School Health Services that were investigated in this descriptive
study included the services provided and their distribution; assessment of health
inspection; health education and referral processes undertaken by the School
Health Teams; perceptions of managers, providers and recipients of the service;
as well as the costs of the provision of the service in KwaZulu-Natal. In KwaZulu-Natal,
there were School Health Teams In all the 8 health and education regions in
the province. In total, there were 95 teams in the province, consisting of nearly 300
staff members. The School Health Teams were involved in a wide range of
activities - 74% of all teams were involved in health inspection and 80% were
involved in health education. The total annual cost of delivering School Health
Services in the province in 1995 was estimated to be approximately R8 750 000.
Given the rise of HIV and AIDS in the province, School Health Services need to
play a central role not only in prevention, but also in assisting with the acceptance
of HIV-positive children within schools. It is recommended that the current and
future draft SHS policy guidelines be approved by the relevant authorities for
immediate implementation. Districts should consider developing "Health Promoting
Schools", with School Health Teams being a central resource.
This thesis has explored several aspects of the epidemiological profile of school
children in rural and urban settings in KwaZulu-Natal. It has established that
school children are exposed to a range of risk factors ranging from nutritional
deficits, parasitic infections, atmospheric lead poisoning and a rising prevalence of
overweight. All of these risk factors may compromise their physical, psychological
and social development. A number of health interventions have been identified, which have the potential to address these problems. Such investments are essential to secure the health of future generations. / Thesis (M.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.
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How an eco-school sanitation community of practice fosters action competence for sanitation management in a rural school : the case of Ramashobohle High School Eco-Schools Community of Practice in Mankweng circuit Polokwane Municipality Capricorn district in Limpopo Province, South AfricaManaka, Ngoanamoshala Maria January 2011 (has links)
Providing adequate sanitation facilities for the poor remains one of the major challenges in all developing countries. In South Africa, an estimated 11,7% of the schools are without sanitation. The South African government has a constitutional responsibility to ensure that all South Africans have access to adequate sanitation. When sanitation systems fail, or are inadequate, the impact of the health of the community, on the health of others and the negative impact on the environment can be extremely serious. In rural South African schools, many Enviro-Ioo toilets are available today. They are designed to suit a variety of water scarce areas and where there is a high risk of contamination of ground water resources. It is important to realize that any Enviro-Ioo system programme requires an education programme to ensure that the principles of use and maintenance are clearly understood by the user group. Their maintenance requires more responsibility and commitment by users. This study is an interpretive case study that indicates how sanitation in a rural Ramashobohle High School in Polokwane municipality was managed through an EcoSchools Sanitation Community of Practice, and how this developed action competence for sanitation management in the school. The study established that the earlier practice and knowledge of the Ramashobohle Eco-Schools community of practice exercised in maintaining Enviro-Ioo systems was inadequate; unhealthy and unsafe according to the data generated through focus group interviews, observations, interviews, action plan, workshops and reflection interviews. The data generated also indicates that the Eco-Schools community of practice was not committed to maintaining sanitation in their school because they were not sharing sanitation knowledge; they were not communicating and not updating one another concerning Enviro-Ioo systems maintenance as they had no adequate knowledge as to how to maintain the facilities; and the school management was also not supportive and was not taking responsibility. The study shows how this situation was turned around as an Eco-Schools Sanitation Community of Practice focussed on developing action competence in the school community. It provides a case based example of how knowledge and action competence, supported by an Eco-Schools Community of Practice, can find and implement solutions to inadequate sanitation management practices in rural schools, and shows how members of the school community can be engaged in learning how to manage and maintain school sanitation systems through a participatory process that develops action competence. The study points to important dimensions of developing action competence, such as providing knowledge and demonstrations, inviting experts to the school, involving learners in observations and monitoring and in ensuring that adequate facilities are available. In particular, a workshop conducted by Enviro-Ioo consultants, organised and supported by the Eco-Schools Sanitation COP, together with a follow up action plan, provided the main impetus for changes in practice in the school and served to support action competence development. Finally the study provides research findings and recommendations for further research.
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The role of school management teams towards provisioning of school sanitation at Man'Ombe Circuit, Mopani Education District in Limpopo Province, South AfricaMaswanganyi, Amukelani Lizzy January 2022 (has links)
Thesis (M.Dev. (Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The purpose of this study was to explore the role of SMTs in providing and sustaining
schools’ sanitation infrastructure. Qualitative research approach was conducted to
determine if the SMT members fully understand the role that they can play in
sustaining sanitation facilities in their schools. Primary data was collected using semi structured questionnaires using qualitative research method. Twenty SMT members
from five sampled schools from Man’ombe Circuit in Mopani East Education District
were used as respondents. The study highlighted that provision of sanitation
infrastructure which is not accompanied by effective management of those
infrastructure cannot be sustained. Management was selected as a theoretical
framework to clearly state the duties of SMT members as managers in the school
community they are based in. Areas of potential effective role performance and areas
of potential role conflict in school sanitation infrastructure were highlighted. The
findings revealed that SMTs do not fully understand their role when it comes to school
sanitation.
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