The aim of this study was to describe mothers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding malaria in children under five years old. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. A structured questionnaire was administered by face-to-face interviews during data collection. The study population of this research composed of mothers of children under five years old suffering from malaria in Thyolo district. Economic-demographic characteristics that were significantly associated with mothers’ knowledge were age (p=0.018), formal education (p=0.001), income (p=0.005), and type of a house (p=0.002). Sources of malaria information that were significantly associated with mothers’ knowledge included television (p=0.004), radio (p=o.005), and posters (p=o.00019). Treatment-seeking behaviour was significantly associated with education (p=0.017). Treatment prior to hospitalisation was significantly associated with mothers’ education (p=0.0001), number of children that passed away (p=0.015), distance to the health facility (p=0.013), lack of money (p=0.019), and time taken at the hospital to get treatment (p=0.016). Recommendations were made to improve mothers’ malaria knowledge for further research / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

PhD / Department of Public Health / See the attached abstract

This PhD thesis explored the experiences of dependent children and children care-givers facing challenges with their parent s cancer. The aim was to understand children s information experience including their perception of cancer and information culture; information needs, information seeking behaviour, barriers and enablers. The research used a six-stage process. This was informed by an extensive literature review and discussions with cancer specialists, psychologists and researchers from United Kingdom, United States, Australia and Malaysia. This study used a three-cycle, eight-step process of Participative Action Research (PAR) with participation from ten Malay breast cancer patients and their dependent children. Three bilingual (English and Bahasa Malaysia) instruments were developed; 1) An Inquiry to Participate Form to select participants who had dependent children, 2) Three opened-ended questions to obtain children s cancer experience and information needs where drawing was used to encourage children s responses and, 3) A 15-question questionnaire to understand children s experience and information preference. Cancer affected parenting abilities and challenging experiences identified the lack of culturally relevant information and the shift in caregiving responsibilities to dependent children. Children s understanding of cancer was influenced by their experiences and observations, many of which resulted in misconceptions about cancer, its causes, treatment and preventative measures. Children participant s reaction to a health situation triggered their information behaviour. The burden of caregiving and the consequences of a lack of information were greater than anticipated; children had many dimensions of concern and experienced many challenges. This advocated for a more assessable, attractive and sensitive information system. Data synthesis contributed to the development of a Children s Reactive Information Seeking Behaviour An Integrated Model that seeks to explain the relationship between children participants reaction to a health situation and the subsequent processes they undergo to resolve their state of information need.

The purpose of the study is to investigate lived experiences of refugees when accessing healthcare services in Pretoria, South Africa. A qualitative phenomenological research approach was followed which assisted in exploring and describing the day-to-day lives of refugees living in Pretoria regarding their health outcomes. Face-to-face interviews were conducted on purposively selected participants, representing refugees from different African countries ranging from age 27 to 58 years. Collected data were transcribed, coded, and relevant themes were extracted and analysed by employing Colaizzi's seven-step analysis framework. Main findings demonstrated that the public healthcare services accessed by refugees, compared to private healthcare services, can be described as mostly dysfunctional. Also, healthcare providers from public healthcare services are often hostile towards refugees of African descent. Failure to speak a local language, unofficial documentation as viewed by a healthcare provider on duty, being a foreigner, and failure to pay undue consultation fees led to refugees being denied access to healthcare or receiving negative treatment in the public healthcare sector. Recommendations for programmes to promote human rights and refugee awareness in healthcare facilities could subsequently contribute to alleviating complications around access to healthcare services, which would denote improved health outcomes for the refugees. / Health Studies / M. P. H. (Health Studies)

Suicide is among the major public health problems in Sweden and worldwide with social, emotional and financial consequences. Suicide is present in almost all age groups, and the elderly shows no exception of this trend. The research defines the elderly as those 65 years of age and older. Among the elderly, the risk factors to commit suicide mainly include health-related causes, but also other social issues, such as the severity of depression and hopelessness, lack of reasons for living, social isolation, loneliness and the occurrence of stressful life events. The current paper focuses on loneliness as a risk factor. Loneliness among older adults contributes to several health- related issues such as self-assessed poor health status, mental decline, anxiety, depression and suicide. Research has demonstrated that many of the elderly experience loneliness. Several different methods and models are used both within and outside the primary care to prevent elderly loneliness. To understand the processes of suicide risk the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide has been used. It explains the different factors and processes that happen within and around a person ́s life when being in suicidal risk. The theory focuses on loneliness and burdensomeness as two main factors that can lead to suicide. The research aims to understand and analyse how different staff members and the Swedish healthcare deal with loneliness as a risk factor among old people that have suicidal behaviour. The research also aims to find out how this risk of loneliness could be managed. A qualitative case study was implemented that included semi-structured interviews with personnel from Region Skåne. The selection of the interviewees followed both purposive sampling and snowball sampling. In addition, online documents and reports from Region Skåne ́s website were used to complete the interview material in order to implement triangulation and to increase validity. The collected data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results show that staff members at Region Skåne’s Psychiatry departments use several different methods to identify the risk of loneliness among the elderly. The most remarkable results to emerge from the data are the several ways of communication they use with the patients, the different team-works they establish, as well as the time invested into gaining competences about the risk of suicide. / Självmord är bland de största folkhälsoproblemen i Sverige och världen över och leder till sociala, emotionella och ekonomiska konsekvenser. Självmord finns i nästan alla åldersgrupper, och de äldre visar inget undantag från denna trend. Forskningen definierar de “äldre” som är 65 år gamla och äldre. Bland äldre inkluderar riskfaktorerna för att begå självmord, huvudsakligen av hälsorelaterade orsaker (såsom förekomst av fysisk sjukdom, funktionella begränsningar), men också andra sociala problem, tex allvarlig depression och hopplöshet, brist på skäl att leva, social isolering, ensamhet och förekomsten av stressande livshändelser. I den här uppsatsen är det fokus på ensamhet som en riskfaktor. Ensamhet bland äldre vuxna bidrar till flera hälsorelaterade frågor såsom självbedömd dålig hälsostatus, mental nedgång, ångest, depression och självmord. Forskning har visat att många av de äldre upplever ensamhet. Flera olika metoder och modeller användes både inom och utanför primärvården för att förhindra ensamhet bland äldre. För att förstå processen för självmordsrisk har den interpersonella teorin om självmord tillämpats. Den förklarar de olika faktorerna och processerna som händer inom och runt en äldre vuxens liv när de är i självmordsrisk. Teorin fokuserar på ensamhet och känslan att man är en börda för samhället, som två huvudfaktorer och som eventuellt kan leda till självmord. Forskningen syftar till att förstå och analysera hur olika anställda inom den svenska sjukvården och hur man i allmänhet hanterar ensamhet som en riskfaktor bland äldre som har självmordsbeteenden. Forskningen syftar också till att ta reda på hur denna risk för ensamhet kan hanteras. En kvalitativ fallstudie genomfördes och inkluderade semistrukturerade intervjuer med personal från Region Skåne. Urvalet av de intervjuade togs avsiktligt och med snöbollseffekt. Dessutom användes ett online dokument och rapporter från Region Skånes webbplats för att slutföra och komplettera intervjumaterialet för att öka validiteten. Den insamlade data analyserades med användning av en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultaten visar att anställda vid Region Skånes psykiatriska avdelningar använder flera olika metoder för att identifiera risken för ensamhet bland äldre. De mest anmärkningsvärda resultaten som framgår av uppgifterna är de olika kommunikationssätten de använder med patienterna, de olika teamarbeten som de skapar, samt den tid som investerats för att få kompetens om risken för självmord.

This thesis is focused on the issues of information behaviour of editors from publishing with an emphasis on information needs and the sources of information. The first part deals with the position in the information publishing companies, the trend for electronic publishing and its influence on the book market. The following is an overview of selected terminological terms from publishers and their analysis. The next chapter is a summary of information behaviour theories, related concepts, models and current research in the Czech republic. The results of research that was realized for the purpose of the thesis between Czech editors are summarized and analyzed in the conclusion. Based on these results, proposals for the increasing of information literacy of editors are included in the thesis.

Denna studie har två övergripande syften. Det första är att undersöka om gymnasieelever tror att de kan påverka sin matematiska intelligens eller inte. Det andra syftet är att undersöka hur gymnasieelevers hjälpsökande beteende ser ut och vilka faktorer som påverkar dessa beteenden. Data samlades in via enkäter på i en skola i Norrbotten, totalt besvarade 250 gymnasieelever enkäten. Resultatet från undersökningen visade att gymnasieeleverna generellt hade en mer dynamisk än statisk syn på sin egen matematiska intelligens. Resultatet visade även att andelen gymnasieelever som hade ett undvikande hjälpsökande beteende var 21.6 % samt att få gymnasieelever sökte hjälp publikt medan merparten av gymnasieeleverna sökte hjälp privat, dock i olika hög grad. Slutligen visade resultatet att gymnasieelevernas undvikande hjälpsökande beteende påverkades av deras rädsla att uppfattas som dum av klasskamrater och utav deras syn på sin egen matematiska intelligens. Resultatet visade även att gymnasieelevernas publika hjälpsökande beteende korrelerade med deras rädsla att uppfattas som dum utav klasskamrater. / This study has two overall aims. The first is to investigate whether high school students believe that they can influence their mathematical intelligence or not. The second aim is to investigate high school students' help-seeking behaviour and which factors influence these behaviours. Data was collected via questionnaires at a school in Norrbotten, a total of 250 high school students answered the questionnaire. The results of the survey showed that the high school students generally had a more dynamic than static view of their own mathematical intelligence. The results also showed that the percentage of high school students who had an avoidant helpseeking behaviour was 21.6% and that few high school students sought help publicly, while most high school students sought help privately, although to varying degrees. Finally, the results showed that high school students' avoidant help-seeking behaviour was influenced by their fear of being perceived as dumb by classmates and by their view of their own mathematical intelligence. The results also showed that the high school students' public helpseeking behaviour correlated with their fear of being perceived as dumb by their classmates.

This research was stimulated by an indication that members of the Africa Gospel Church do not utilise professional health care services optimally, probably due to religious reasons. This may also be the result of registered nurses’ inability to render culture congruent care. To render culture congruent care, nurses require knowledge of the belief system and the health seeking behaviours of the church members. The qualitative research investigated the religious beliefs and health seeking behaviours of members of the Africa Gospel Church in Francistown, Botswana. An exploratory ethnonursing research method was applied. Semi-structured interviews were held with two purposively selected samples. Qualitative data analysis was done using computer software to reduce data and interpret the research results. The study indicated that members utilise the Church structure for health care purposes and seek health care mainly from priests and prophets. / Advanced Nursing Sciences / M.A. (Nursing Science)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of academic libraries in providing services to culturally diverse student populations. In this study the information needs and information-seeking behaviour of the culturally diverse students of the Technikon Witwatersrand were analysed. The study also tried to establish whether there are differences in information needs and information-seeking behaviour of various cultural groups. The empirical investigation was conducted by means of focus group interviews and a questionnaire survey on a sample of undergraduate students of the Technikon Witwatersrand. There were assumptions that African students have limited experience in using the academic library, have no computer and information handling skills and might have language difficulties. Therefore, the expectation was that African students might have problems in the use of the academic library. However, the results of the empirical study show that English and Afrikaans speaking students are experiencing more problems than African students. / Information Science / M.Inf.

This dissertation analysed the information needs and information-seeking behaviour of visual artists. An empirical survey was conducted on a sample of the more informationliterate visual artists in South Africa. A model of the information environment of South African visual artists was developed. This model provides a basis for another model which represents the optimal service that should be rendered to meet the needs of this user group. It was found that the general information needs of South African artists are fairly adequately met, but that there are several shortfalls, especially in serving their more complex information needs. The most important problems are the lack of training in the use of information sources and services, inadequate marketing of services and inadequate coverage of South African art. It was also found that greater coordination between service providers is urgently required, especially in the provision of information about South African art. / M. (Information Science)