Magister Public Health - MPH / The study had an observational, descriptive, cross sectional design. The sample consisted of 205 participants selected through convenience sampling. All students who presented for HIV testing during the colleges’ HIV Counselling and Testing campaign in December 2011 were asked to complete a self-administered closed-ended questionnaire voluntarily. The data was analysed with EPI Info versions 3.5.1. A frequency analysis was conducted for all the variables such as demographics, risk perception to HIV, knowledge of HIV, HIV testing behaviour. The association between HIV knowledge, risk perception and risk behaviours were assessed for gender differences. Chi-square analysis was conducted to determine the association between the main variable of interest HIV risk behaviour and each other explanatory variable (demographics, HIV knowledge, risk perception etc). Results were discussed using the theory of planned behaviour.

This research report presents the findings of an evaluation of a school-based substance abuse prevention programme presented as part of Project Awareness. The programme was presented as a one-day intervention for grade ten learners in eleven schools in Tshwane. The prevention program taught substance abuse refusal skills, anti-substance norms, personal self-management skills, and general social skills in an effort to provide students with skills and information for resisting substance offers, to decrease motivations to use substances, and decrease vulnerability to substance use social influences. The study evaluated this school-based substance abuse prevention intervention in a sample of learners (N=300) in six of the eleven schools. Measures were obtained on a behavioural survey to ascertain whether any knowledge, behaviour or attitude change occurred between the pre-intervention and post-intervention phases. In addition, focus group data and observational measures were implemented to determine how the learners experienced the programme and whether the programme was effective in capturing the attention of the learners. Results indicated that, from learners perceptions of the programme, the intervention seems to have had a positive impact on substance abuse prevention, but not on changing the behaviour of learners already engaging in substance abuse. The results from the behavioural survey indicated some change in learner attitudes to some degree, but not behavioural change. Suggestions for the improvement of the programme were made throughout the report, and the observational measures specifically indicated that the more practical oriented tasks were more efficient in capturing the attention of learners. It is concluded that although the programme certainly had room for improvement, that the programme did indeed address relevant issues. The program also had a direct positive effect on several cognitive, attitudinal, and personality variables believed to play a role in adolescent substance use. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted

The aim of this study was to identify factors affecting facility-based delivery with the purpose of developing a framework for the promotion of facility-based delivery among women living in rural Ethiopia. Explanatory mixed methods design, comprising of four phases-the descriptive (quantitative), explorative (qualitative), meta-inference and development phases was employed. The quantitative phase was conducted first using a structured questionnaire to identify the variables influencing facility-based delivery care seeking behaviour. A sample of 389 responses were used for data analysis using Structural Equation Modeling. The quantitative phase conducted next to explain the determinants that contributed to influencing facility-based delivery care seeking behaviour. Sixteen participants who were involved the first phase were involved in the follow-up second phase. As illustrated by the results of the study, the majority of women in the study areas continued to deliver at home, putting themselves at risk of dying from pregnancy related causes. As highlighted by the key findings from the quantitative and qualitative data of this study, the most influential factors in predicting and explaining delivery care seeking behaviour are response efficacy, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control which are shaped by mothers’ confidence in the outcome, quality of care, interpersonal relations with family members, willingness to conform, access to services, and their decision making power. The way these findings emphasized the factors attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control were consistent with the Theory of Planned Behaviour, while the significance of response efficacy was in line with Protection Motivation Theory. The study developed a framework to help promote facility-based delivery among mothers living in rural Ethiopia. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

El Perú se encuentra en el cinturón de fuego del Pacífico, por lo que los sismos son un riesgo latente. Ante ello, el director de INDECI, reveló que 3 de cada 10 peruanos no participan de los simulacros de prevención. Por ello, se realizó una investigación a 17 limeños, divididos en cinco sesiones de focus group para identificar los comportamientos de los limeños entre 25 a 35 años con respecto a la prevención de sismos y su relación con la gestión de la comunicación de prevención. Debido a las características que se desea estudiar, el enfoque más apropiado es cualitativo con diseño fenomenológico. A partir de ello, se concluyó que existen dos tipos de percepción del riesgo: percepción de riesgo nula y percepción de riesgo no constante, debido a que los mensajes de comunicación no han sido interiorizados dando como resultado comportamientos asociados a la ausencia de compromiso y responsabilidad. / Peru is located in the fire belt of the Pacific, so tremors and earthquakes are a latent risk. Despite this, the director of the national civil defense institute revealed that 3 out of 10 Peruvians do not participate in the prevention drills. For this reason, a qualitative research was carried out, where 17 people from Lima participated, divided into five focus group sessions to identify the behaviors of Lima residents between 25 and 35 years old with respect to earthquake prevention and its relationship with the management of communication prevention. It was concluded that there are two types of risk perception: null risk perception and non-constant risk perception, due to the fact that communication messages have not been internalized, resulting in behaviors associated with the absence of commitment and responsibility. / Tesis

Sepsis är ett potentiellt livshotande tillstånd som kräver tidig identifiering och behandling för att inte resultera i dödsfall eller långsiktiga konsekvenser. I nuläget finns det inget standardiserat förlopp på sjukhus i Sverige för hur vården ska agera för att upptäcka patienter som potentiellt utvecklar sepsis vilket tyder på ett behov av det för att förbättra vårdkvaliteten och patientresultaten. För att säkerhetsställa vårdförloppets syfte med att bidra med en jämlik vård för alla och bättre vård för patienterna är det viktigt att implementeringen lyckas och tillämpas av vårdpersonalen. För att det ska ske behöver vårdpersonalen acceptera vårdförloppet. Med grund i teorin om planerat beteende undersöktes vårdpersonalens uppfattning och upplevelser utifrån deras attityder till vårdförloppet, de sociala normer som råder samt deras upplevda kontroll. Dessa faktorer kommer enligt teorin om planerat beteende att påverka deras intention till att använda vårdförloppet. För att undersöka vårdpersonalens uppfattningar och upplevelser utfördes intervjuer på tre sjukhus i Region Östergötland; Universitetssjukhuset Linköping, Vrinnevisjukhuset Norrköping och Lasarettet Motala. Intervjuerna utfördes med de undersköterskor, sjuksköterskor och läkare som var tillgängliga på plats vid besök och som hade kommit i kontakt med vårdförloppet sedan implementeringen. Elva individer deltog. Resultatet analyserades genom tematisk analys med bas i föreställningarna kring beteende, norm och kontroll som ligger till grund för de faktorer som lyfts i teorin om planerat beteende. Resultatet visade på att vårdpersonalen intention till att använda vårdförloppet påverkas av hur det förbättrar vården för patienterna, hur det underlättar dem i deras yrkesroll, hur deras omgivningen accepterar och använder vårdförloppet samt den kontroll de känner i användandet av vårdförloppet. Förbättringsområden gällande beteendeföreställningar, normföreställningar och kontrollföreställningar lyfts vilket kan bidra till att vårdpersonalen tillämpar vårdförloppet med större acceptans. / Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that requires early identification and treatment to prevent fatalities or long-term consequences. Currently, there is no standardized course of care in place for detecting patients at risk of developing sepsis in Swedish hospitals, indicating a need for such intervention to improve the quality of care and patient outcomes. To ensure the intended purpose of the course of care, which is to provide equal care for all and improve patient outcomes, successful implementation and adoption by healthcare professionals are crucial. Acceptance of the intervention by healthcare professionals are necessary for this to occur. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study examined healthcare professionals' perceptions and experiences regarding their attitudes towards the intervention, the prevailing social norms, and their perceived control. These factors, according to the Theory of Planned Behavior, influence the healthcare professional’s intention to use the course of care. To investigate healthcare professionals' perceptions and experiences, interviews were conducted at three hospitals in region Östergötland: Linköping University Hospital, Vrinnevi Hospital in Norrköping, and Motala Hospital. The interviews were conducted with available nursing assistants, nurses, and physicians who had encountered the intervention since its implementation, a total of eleven participants. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data, focusing on the behavioral, normative, and control beliefs underlying the factors highlighted in the Theory of Planned Behavior. The findings revealed that healthcare professionals' intention to use the care pathway is influenced by how it enhances patient care, facilitates their professional roles, the acceptance and utilization of the intervention by people in their environment, and the perceived control they experience when using the intervention. Additionally, areas for improvement regarding behavioral, normative and control beliefs are highlighted, which may contribute to greater acceptance and utilization of the intervention by healthcare professionals.

Den här studien undersöker vad som påverkar beslutsfattandet för svenska högskolestudenter ur Generation Z när de gör inköp av kläder, samt vilka konsekvenser det leder till gällande konsumtionen av second hand och fast fashion. Studien undersöker även hur miljömedvetenhet påverkar dessa beslut. Studien är baserad på en enkätundersökning, där frågorna är baserade på teorierna Theory of Planned Behaviour och the Value-Action gap. Med hjälp av enkäten undersöks attityder till olika val samt hur deltagarna agerar. Studien utgår även från tillgänglig litteratur, bestående av vetenskapliga källor och rapporter. Resultaten visar att miljömedvetenhet har en stor inverkan på hur konsumenter agerar, samt att pris, tillgänglighet, kvalitet, storleksutbud och hållbarhet är avgörande när konsumenten fattar sina beslut. En jämförelse mot hållbarhetsmål 12 ur FN:s Agenda 2030, som anses aktuellt för studien, visar på att svenska högskolestudenter ur Generation Z konsumerar förhållandevis hållbart och ligger relativt bra i linje med de uppsatta målen. Resultaten visar även att den generella inställningen till fast fashion är negativ, och inställningen till second hand generellt är positiv. Detta ser lovande ut inför framtiden, och resultaten tyder även på att större medvetenhet kring miljöfrågor leder till mer hållbara val och konsumtionsmönster. / This study examines factors influencing decision-making among Swedish university students from Generation Z when purchasing clothing, as well as the consequences this has on the consumption of second hand and fast fashion. The study also explores how environmental awareness affects these decisions. The study is based on a survey, in which the questions are based on Theory of Planned Behaviour and Value-Action Gap. The survey explores attitudes towards different choices and how participants act. The study also draws from available literature, consisting of scientific sources and reports. The results show that environmental awareness has a significant impact on consumer behaviour, and that price, availability, quality, size range, and sustainability are crucial when consumers make their decisions. The results were compared with several sub-goals of Sustainable Development Goal 12 from the UN's Agenda 2030, which are considered relevant to the study. The results also indicate that the general attitude towards fast fashion is negative, and the attitude towards second hand is generally positive. This looks promising for the future, and the results also suggest that greater awareness of environmental issues leads to more sustainable choices and consumption patterns.

Owing to the fact that entrepreneurship is widely considered to be a mechanism for reducing unemployment, the purpose of the study was to assess whether final-year Commerce students in the predominantly rural provinces, the Eastern Cape Province and the Limpopo Province, have the intention to start their own businesses.The study draws heavily from entrepreneurial intent models and focuses on the relationship between three key variables, namely, exposure to entrepreneurship education, awareness of entrepreneurial support and social capital to establish whether they are related to the intention of final-year Commerce studentsto start their own businesses. The literature review concentrated on entrepreneurial intent and entrepreneurial intent models; government entrepreneurial support initiatives in South Africa and in other countries and their role in the development of entrepreneurial intent, emergence of new ventures and the growth of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs); entrepreneurship education and its role in enhancing entrepreneurial self-efficacy, entrepreneurial competencies and entrepreneurial intent;the influence of social capital on entrepreneurial intent and the different stages on the new venture life-cycle; and concludes with the link between entrepreneurship and the establishment of SMMEs. A survey was conducted among National Diploma (ND): Internal Auditing, Cost and Management Accounting and Financial information systems students (IAUD, CMA and FIS) (who had six months exposure to entrepreneurship education), ND: Entrepreneurship/Small Business Management (E/SBM) (who had three years exposure to entrepreneurship education) and ND: Management (without exposure to entrepreneurship education). The respondents for the study comprised 355 final year students of which 276 were from Walter Sisulu University in the Eastern Cape Province and 79 were from Tshwane University of Technology (Polokwane Campus) in the LimpopoProvince.Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and nonparametric statistics. The findings reveal that the majority of the respondents had the intention to start a business in the future.The entrepreneurial intent of the ND: E/SBM students was v stronger than the entrepreneurial intent of the ND: IAUD, CMA and FIS students and ND: Management students. Some significant relationships were found between entrepreneurial intent and the key variables of the study. / Business Management / D.Com. (Business Management)

This pilot study consists of two parts. The first part investigates the extent to which the domestic electricity consumers intend to use and use energy efficiently using the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The second part investigates the extent to which the Energy @ Home educational intervention changed the domestic electricity consumers’ behaviour. For the first part of the study an advertisement was published and a convenience stratified sample of 61 domestic electricity consumers were selected from the 290 respondents. Data was collected from the domestic electricity consumers via a questionnaire and a telephone response log. The co-relational research design was used to investigate the relationship between the predictor variables the independent variables in the constructs of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Simple linear regression analysis resulted in F statistic for the predicted behavioural intention was 29.74 with a p value less than 0.0001 which indicates significant statistical evidence of a linear relation between the predictor variables and the independent variables. The r2 of 0.87 implies that data points that fall closely along the best fit line. Therefore the predictor variables were good predictors of the response variable. All the participants that intended to use electricity efficiently confirmed via the telephone that they were using electricity efficiently. In the second part of the study 11 out of the 61 participants were chosen to participate in the Energy @ Home educational intervention and television program. Data was collected via the Energy audit log and the electricity consumption log. The participants intended to save between 2% and 35% of their electricity consumption and the actual electricity consumption savings were between 2% and 30%. / Science and Technology Education / M. Sc. (Mathematics, Physics & Technology Education (Physics Education))

Most research in green IT tend to focus on the practices of large IT vendors and companies. There is therefore a need to examine the beliefs and actual behaviour of IT users about green IT, as it significantly impact of energy consumption and computer design on the broader society. The main question to be answered was ―Are IT users generally concerned with regards to green IT issues?‖. Therefore the main purpose of this study was thus to evaluate the beliefs and actual behaviour of IT users regarding green IT in South Africa through a survey that was completed by university students and lecturers. The paucity of available research on this subject pertaining to South Africa justifies the importance of conducting this study. A hypothesised research model based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) was used to evaluate the main factors contributing to green IT awareness in an empirical study. A mixed research method was used as the paradigm which combines aspects from both interpretive and positivist research approaches. A questionnaire was used to collect data from university students and lecturers. The data was captured and analysed for convergent validity. The reliability of measurement items was tested using Cronbach‘s alpha. Structural Equation Modelling was used to model latent variables under conditions of non-normality. Subjective norm was the main factor contributing to intended belief and actual behaviour / School of Computing / M.A. (Computer Science)

Despite HIV and AIDS knowledge and attitude change programmes, workplace HIV and AIDS-related discrimination persists in workplaces in many sectors, including the education sector. This study set out to investigate why the phenomenon of workplace HIV and AIDS-related discrimination persists; and to predict which factors were responsible and how they related to HIV and AIDS-related discrimination in the workplace. A stratified random sample of 205 teachers; 123 of whom were from 10 schools of varied backgrounds in Bojanala Region of North West Province of South Africa and 82 from schools around Kampala, Central Region of Uganda was drawn. Twenty-seven respondents of the South African sample participated in both the quantitative survey and in-depth interview while the rest responded to a selfadministered questionnaire. Using a stepwise regression analysis, traditional beliefs predicted workplace HIV and AIDS-related discrimination, explained11% of variance in the second model while the third model explained only 2% more – 13% (R square of 0.136) but each of the three models was significant (p-values of 0.000). Attitudes were the second strongest predictor; and only HIV and AIDS-legal knowledge could predict discrimination but not biomedical HIV and AIDS knowledge. In the in-depth interview, incidents of discrimination were reported, possible reasons for HIV and AIDS-related discrimination were reported; and it was found that workers varied in ways of keeping secrets regarding sensitive information such as colleagues’ HIV-positive status, and cited reasons for revealing such information which included malice, jealousy, moral responsibility, anger and loose talks. There are implications for reducing workplace HIV and AIDS-related discrimination which include: Integrating HIV and AIDS-legal knowledge with biomedical HIV and AIDS knowledge, more efforts should be spent in designing and imparting information to reduce traditional beliefs, develop and evaluate instruments to measure traditional beliefs and HIV and AIDS-legal knowledge; and to study more about secret keeping, particularly in regard to workplace HIV and AIDSrelated discrimination. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / D. Admin. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)