In the context of epidemiological transitions in Latin American countries evidence is scarce. In Colombia, despite a broad policy framework for healthy lifestyles promotion, surveillance of movement behaviours including physical activity and sedentary behaviours has been limited. Therefore, this thesis aims to: a) Describe indicators of physical activity and sedentary behaviours among Colombian children and adolescents; b) determine the factors associated with meeting physical activity guidelines, engaging in active play, using active transportation and spending excessive recreational screen time among Colombian children and adolescents; and c) draw international comparisons of physical activity and sedentary behaviour indicators. To accomplish this, cross-sectional data from the National Survey of Nutrition in Colombia 2015-2016 and the Global Matrix of Physical Activity in Children and Youth 3.0 were analyzed. This dissertation compiles five research manuscripts prepared and submitted for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Paper one describes physical activity indicators and correlates among Colombian children and found that a low proportion of children and adolescents in Colombia are physically active, with a consistently lower prevalence among females across all age groups. Paper two depicts the national situation of active transportation to school, indicating a non-negligible prevalence of this behaviour and several correlates to guide the design of strategies to promote walking and biking to school in Colombia. Paper three focused on recreational screen time and its correlates and found a high prevalence of excessive recreational screen time that increases with age. Paper four puts Colombian data in global context with nine other countries with a similar human development index participating in the Global Matrix 3.0 initiative. This study compared grades of behavioural and sources of influence indicators and found similarly low performance across countries. In paper five a latent profile analysis approach was used to build active transportation profiles that contribute to understand active commuting to school across 49 countries from the Global Matrix 3.0. This dissertation helps fill gaps in knowledge in Colombia, and middle-income countries more broadly, providing national estimates of physical activity and sedentary behaviours of children aged 3-17 years for the first time in the surveillance history of the country.

Master of Public Health - MPH / The HIV incidence among young people aged 15 to 24 years remains a global health concern. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is the home of approximately four million young people living with HIV, and young people in the region account for about 70% of new infections annually. Over 85% of HIV infections among young people in SSA is sexually transmitted. Therefore, the aim of the study was to understand young people’s experiences and perspectives on HIV prevention in four communities in Zambia.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The current study was motivated by the need to establish the factors that predispose leaders to engage in counterproductive work behaviours (CWBs) in organisations. Corporate scandals continue to rise unabated and their damage to organisations financially, is unendurable, hence the need to mitigate them so that organisations can thrive under the harsh economic conditions that have ravaged the global economies in recent history. Evidence from the literature shows that leadership plays a significant role in combating CWBs in organisations therefore making it an integral component under the current study

Much of the research in project management focuses on developing better scheduling techniques in order to generate successful engineering and construction projects. However, with the advent of globalisation, project management is not only a domestic endeavour. Better scheduling techniques are not necessarily sufficient to ensure the successful completion of projects. Working with people with different cultural backgrounds and managing in foreign cultural areas is very common today. Cultural differences can actually affect project success and specifically the success of projects of a technological nature. Five typical Chinese cultural behaviours are identified and discussed in terms of philosophy of life, the "face" issue, personal relationships, communication and conflict solving. The effects of these cultural behaviours on communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, contract process and project team-building are researched through a designed survey questionnaire. Although the questionnaire is designed based on the Chinese culture, South African project managers have also been asked to participate in order to illustrate the cultural differences, where applicable. Researchers and practitioners still find it difficult to define what constitutes cultural differences and how to mitigate the influence of cultural differences on engineering projects. Data analysis and survey results for cultural effects on international engineering team performance are presented in this thesis and a method to mitigate the effect of cultural difference is conceptualised. This thesis contributes to the knowledge of managing engineering and construction projects in multicultural environments specifically in the international context. Moreover, a conceptual model has been developed and evaluated to indicate and explore the relationships between cultural differences, Chinese behaviours, project activities, project management processes and mitigation methods, from the South African and Chinese perspectives. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM) / unrestricted

Background: Low- and middle-income countries like South Africa carry the greatest suicide burden, with local general population suicide attempt rates of 2.9–22.7%, in comparison to 0.7–9% in international literature. Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) commonly co-occurs with suicidal behaviours and estimates range from 5.5% internationally to 19.4% in South Africa. As a subgroup of the general population, university students are at higher risk both of suicidal behaviours and NSSI (S/NSSI). Risk factors for S/NSSI include parenting style; however, very little is known about the relationship between parenting styles and S/NSSI in university students in the South African context. Objectives: In this dissertation we set out to perform a literature review relating to explanatory models and risk factors associated with S/NSSI and then proceeded to collect novel data from students at the University of Cape Town. This research study aimed to describe the rates of S/NSSI behaviours and to explore the relationship between the Baumrind parenting style typography and S/NSSI in university students. The study hypothesised that authoritative parenting would negatively correlate with S/NSSI. No a priori hypotheses were made about the other parenting styles investigated. Methods: In chapter 1, we performed a literature review of peer-reviewed publications on Pubmed, Psychinfo via EBSCOHost and MEDLINE via EBSCOHost identified through search terms that were relevant to the focus of the study. In chapter 2 novel data were collected. Students from all faculties at the University of Cape Town were invited to complete an anonymous, online electronic survey. Data collection included a socio-demographic questionnaire, Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire and Self-Harming Behaviours Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics quantified parenting styles, suicidal behaviours and NSSI. Spearman's correlation coefficients examined the association between parenting style and S/NSSI. Results: Literature review provided a topline review of explanatory models and risk factors associated with S/NSSI and identified relevant literature about parenting styles using the Baumrind typology. In the electronic survey of university students, the rate of suicidal attempts was 6.3% and of NSSI was 22.7%. Suicide threats, suicidal thoughts, and thoughts of dying were reported by 5.9%, 35.7% and 50.7% respectively. No significant differences were seen between male and female students. We observed no significant association between authoritative parenting and suicidal behaviours, but authoritative mothers and fathers were significantly associated with a history of NSSI. Both permissive mothers and fathers were associated with suicide attempts, threats, and thoughts, whereas only permissive mothers were associated with NSSI. Conclusion: This study replicated previously reported high rates of S/NSSI in South African university students in comparison to general population and international data. Contrary to our hypothesis, authoritative parenting style was positively correlated with NSSI, but not with suicidal behaviours. Further studies are warranted to examine parenting style, and permissive parenting, in particular, in relation to S/NSSI

There is growing evidence to suggest an inverse association between physical activity and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the mechanisms are not well understood and much of the research in this area stems from cross-sectional studies, thereby limiting what is known about these relationships at the intra-individual level. Chapter 1 of this dissertation is a systematic review examining the literature on the association between physical activity and PTSD in a variety of study designs (i.e., cross-sectional, longitudinal, and intervention). Chapters 2 and 3 used data from a 7-day diary study of 15 participants with a diagnosis of PTSD. In this study, participants completed twice daily surveys on mobile phones and wore Fitbit accelerometers measuring physical activity and sleep. Chapter 2 used multilevel modeling to examine the within-person and between-person associations between physical activity and symptoms of PTSD, sleep, positive and negative affect, and coping. Multiple operationalizations of physical activity were used (i.e., self-report and accelerometer-measured) in order to explore and better understand which metrics are most strongly related to psychosocial factors. Results from Chapter 2 add to the literature by providing evidence of within-person associations between physical activity and PTSD symptoms over the course of the day, such that on days when participants are more physically active than usual, they also report fewer symptoms of PTSD that evening. Chapter 3 discusses the utility of using N-of-1 study designs with an emphasis on the benefits of using frequent repeated measurements in clinical practice. Three case examples are presented to illustrate the intra-individual variability that is observed in symptoms of PTSD, affect, and health behaviours. These examples provide rationale for the use of intensive measurement designs in order to fully capture and understand how and when variables fluctuate over time. / Graduate

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / The stage of adolescence is a transitional stage in human development that can be confusing and stressful as it involves adjusting to adulthood which comes with independence and responsibilities. Adolescents solidify their journey towards self-identity as they gradually detach from being completely dependent on their parents. They form new bonds with peers and other people and are bound to be experimental as they embark on a life discovery journey. Studies reveal that adolescents are increasingly engaging in risk-taking behaviours such as risky sexual behaviour, substance use and violence, despite the implementation of numerous behavioural change interventions

A healthy in utero environment is essential for achieving optimal outcomes for women and their children. Gestational weight gain (GWG) has been shown to impact current and future maternal-infant health outcomes. Suboptimal weight gain during pregnancy (defined by the Institute of Medicine GWG guidelines) has been linked to several complications and is implicated in the inter-general cycle of obesity. Understanding contributors to GWG and intervening during pregnancy with healthy behaviour strategies may have a multi-generational effect for chronic disease prevention. The objective of the first study of this thesis was to examine the association between i) eating habits during pregnancy, ii) advice from family or friends about GWG, and iii) personal effort to stay within weight gain limits, and meeting GWG recommendations. Cross-sectional data were collected from pregnant and postpartum women who responded to the validated electronic maternal (EMat) health survey. Regardless of receiving advice about GWG, women self-reporting less healthy eating habits in pregnancy than before pregnancy, receiving advice from family/friends about GWG, and lower personal effort to stay within guidelines, had an increased odds of weight gain discordant with recommendations. The objective of the second study was to assess the short-term effect of the SmartMoms Canada application (app) usage on promoting adequate GWG and healthy behaviours. SmartMoms Canada is an app-based intervention designed to help pregnant women adhere to GWG guidelines and improve healthful behaviours. Pregnant women using the SmartMoms Canada app more frequently had a higher moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily average when compared with women with a lower usage. Together, the EMat and SmartMoms results from this thesis contribute to identifying and mitigating potential factors associated with discordant GWG and healthy behaviours.

Background: Approximately 56,000 persons with dementia are admitted to hospitals annually and 75% of them experience responsive behaviours. Responsive behaviours are words/actions used to make one's needs known (e.g. wandering, yelling, hitting, and restlessness) and are perceived by healthcare professionals to be a challenging aspect of dementia care. Aims: This study explores the perceptions of nurses about: (a) caring for older adults with dementia experiencing responsive behaviours in acute medical settings and (b) an educational intervention in dementia care called P.I.E.C.E.S. (Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Capabilities, Environmental, and Social assessment). Methods: Thorne's interpretive description approach was used. In-person, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 nurses and allied health professionals from acute medical settings in a hospital in Ontario. Data were analyzed using experiential thematic analysis. Findings: Themes related to caring for individuals with responsive behaviours included the following: (a) providing nursing care for older adults with responsive behaviours of dementia is a complex experience, (b) there are many barriers to dementia care within acute medical settings, (c) nurses use a combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies to care for older adults with dementia, (d) there is limited continued use of P.I.E.C.E.S. education although the program and its approaches were seen as relevant for dementia care, and (e) participants viewed organizations as responsible for improving dementia care in acute medical settings. Conclusions: Findings provide guidance for improved support for nurses who provide care to persons experiencing responsive behaviours in acute medical settings such as increasing staffing. Strategies should be implemented to provide continuous educational reinforcements to help staff apply P.I.E.C.E.S such as interdisciplinary rounds focusing on responsive behaviours. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Yes / Purpose. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a Romanian version of the three factor eating questionnaire-r21 for children and adolescents (ctfeqr21), and to assess its psychometric properties and factor structure. Associations between this version of the ctfeqr21 and anthropometric measures as well as body composition were also examined. Design and methods. 153 children and adolescents (68 boys and 95 girls; 10.8 ± 3.5 years) took part in this study (bmi of 17.7 ± 3.1 kg/m²). The participants were first interviewed to ascertain their understanding of the ctfeq-r21 and were then asked to self-complete the questionnaire. Height and weight were measured and body composition assessed using bio impedance analyzers (Tanita MC 780). Results. The CTFEQr21 showed satisfactory internal consistency (cronbach’s α=0.78). Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were 0.55 for CR, 0.75 for UE, and 0.76 for EE separately. UE and EE were found to be significantly correlated (r=0.54, p<0.05). The three factors explained 43% of the total variance. Correlation between CR, UE and EE with body weight, BMI and FFM were significant but low to moderate with coefficients ranging from 0.20 to 0.37. The higher the CR, UE and EE tertiles, the higher the weight, fat mass (kg) and fat-free mass values. Conclusions. According to the psychometric analysis of the questionnaire, the proposed version of the CTFEQr21 proposed here is a satisfactory tool to assess eating behaviors in Romanian child population that remains to be further developed.