Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / Background: The revised Infant and Young Child Feeding Policy (IYCFP) 2013 encourages HIV-positive mothers to also exclusively breastfeed for six months, and to continue breastfeeding for a year with introduction of appropriate complementary feeding, while their children receive antiretroviral treatment. The aim of this study was to determine knowledge and practices of the Primary Health Care Workers (PHCWs) related to the implementation of the revised IYCFP 2013 in the Blouberg Municipality of Capricorn District, Limpopo Province. Methods: A quantitative descriptive study was conducted on 103 PHCWs. The questionnaire was closed ended. The questionnaire was developed based on the contents of the revised IYCFP 2013. A simple random sampling technique was used to sample nurses irrespective of the category. Data were analyzed through SPSS Software v23.0. Results: Most participants were females (91.3%), category were Professional Nurses (44.7%), aged between 31 and 40 years (44.7%) and also mostly worked for >10 years (56.3%). The results revealed that 97.1% of the participants have good knowledge about infant and young child feeding, 68% of participants were not trained on the revised IYCFP 2013, resulting to only 32% of participants having a good practice of this policy. Also 44.7% of the participants reported that they were not aware if clinics had a copy of this policy. The results further revealed that 92.2% of the participants reported that clinics still receive, keep and issue infant formula to HIV positive mothers, which maybe the reason the dieticians still receive requests for Infant Formulas to be delivered to HIV-positive mothers. Conclusion: There is a need for monitoring and evaluation to ensure availability and vi implementation of the revised IYCFP 2013; and also the need for in-service training on this policy in order to improve the capacity to implement the revised IYCFP 2013. Key Concepts Revised IYCFP 2013; knowledge; practice; implementation; PHCWs; infant and young child feeding.

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / Background: The revised Infant and Young Child Feeding Policy (IYCFP) 2013 encourages HIV-positive mothers to also exclusively breastfeed for six months, and to continue breastfeeding for a year with introduction of appropriate complementary feeding, while their children receive antiretroviral treatment. The aim of this study was to determine knowledge and practices of the Primary Health Care Workers (PHCWs) related to the implementation of the revised IYCFP 2013 in the Blouberg Municipality of Capricorn District, Limpopo Province. Methods: A quantitative descriptive study was conducted on 103 PHCWs. The questionnaire was closed ended. The questionnaire was developed based on the contents of the revised IYCFP 2013. A simple random sampling technique was used to sample nurses irrespective of the category. Data were analyzed through SPSS Software v23.0. Results: Most participants were females (91.3%), category were Professional Nurses (44.7%), aged between 31 and 40 years (44.7%) and also mostly worked for >10 years (56.3%). The results revealed that 97.1% of the participants have good knowledge about infant and young child feeding, 68% of participants were not trained on the revised IYCFP 2013, resulting to only 32% of participants having a good practice of this policy. Also 44.7% of the participants reported that they were not aware if clinics had a copy of this policy. The results further revealed that 92.2% of the participants reported that clinics still receive, keep and issue infant formula to HIV positive mothers, which maybe the reason the dieticians still receive requests for Infant Formulas to be delivered to HIV-positive mothers. Conclusion: There is a need for monitoring and evaluation to ensure availability and vi implementation of the revised IYCFP 2013; and also the need for in-service training on this policy in order to improve the capacity to implement the revised IYCFP 2013. Key Concepts Revised IYCFP 2013; knowledge; practice; implementation; PHCWs; infant and young child feeding.

Thesis (M. A. (Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / Foster care is the best method of alternative care for children that need care and protection. It offers children an atmosphere and environment that recognise their economic, social, educational, health and cultural needs without discrimination. The fundamental objective of foster care is to make sure children are protected and grow up in a safe and healthy environment. Notwithstanding the positive impact that comes with it, it has been confirmed worldwide that foster care suffers from serious deficiencies to an extent that the rights of children are compromised. The Department of Social Development is no exception to foster care backlogs, which result in foster care placement applications accumulating and families’ quality of life being affected and compromised. Social workers are inundated with high caseloads on a daily basis. The study employed qualitative and collective case study design. The non-probability, convenient sampling technique was followed to select twelve statutory social workers at Botlokwa Department of Social Development satellites. Out of these social workers, eight were female and four were male. Data was collected by means of literature review and semi-structured in-depth interviews guided by an interview schedule with open-ended questions. The data was analysed thematically with the help of the Nvivo programme. The study unearthed factors such as shortage of social workers, social auxiliary workers and supervisors, system deficiencies within the children’s court fraternity, insufficient tools of trade, multiple work responsibilities and lack of cooperation from clients as contributing to foster care backlogs. The findings also revealed that in order to cope with these backlogs, some social workers engage in unethical conducts such as comforting clients with lies and not attending to foster care files. Instead, they write process notes and use their own resources to execute their roles and help one another to deal with the backlogs. Therefore, it is recommended that specialisation in foster care, foster care file audit, hiring more social workers, effective working relationship between foster care stakeholders, adopting a computerised reminder system for files due for review, convenient court dates and amendment of form 30 and the advertisement of unknown fathers can be efficient measures to mitigate foster care not only at Botlokwa, but also within the Department of Social Development nationwide. The researcher therefore concludes that foster care backlogs within social work offices is real, and that to curb it requires collaborative efforts x by role players, particularly the Department of Social Development and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Background: Late antenatal care (ANC) booking delays treatment and management of high-risk pregnancies, which may result to maternal deaths. Early ANC booking has been found to be effective in most of the pregnancy related risk factors that can be detected and managed at early stages of pregnancy. Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence and factors contributing to late ANC booking amongst pregnant women in primary health care facilities at Dikgale-Mamabolo local area. Methods: Quantitative cross-sectional research approach was used. The study was conducted at Dikgale-Mamabolo local area, which consists of seven clinics at Polokwane, Limpopo province in South Africa. Only three clinics were purposefully selected for the study. The population of the study included pregnant women who were 18 years and above. The sample size consisted of 238 pregnant women who came for ANC services in primary health care facilities during the period of the study. Convenience sampling method was used to select pregnant women from the population. Data was collected using an adapted questionnaire. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPPS) version 25. Results: The results indicated that 86% of pregnant women booked antenatal care before five months gestational age and 14% booked after five months gestational age. Factors contributing to late ANC booking amongst pregnant women were marital status, educational level, employment status, mode of transport to clinic, lack of information, cultural beliefs, long distance to the clinic, long waiting time in the clinic and clinic operating hours. Conclusion: Late ANC booking remains a major public health issue. The study showed that lack of information and cultural beliefs are major contributing factors to late ANC booking. It is recommended that awareness campaigns should be conducted in the community and schools to empower women with knowledge about ANC services.

Thesis (M. A. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / The integration of mental health care (MHC) into primary health care (PHC) has been identified as a practical intervention to: increase accessibility to mental health care; reduce stigma and discrimination against people living with mental illnesses; improve the management of chronic mental illness; and, to reduce the burden of comorbidity of mental illnesses with other chronic illnesses. In the South African context, integrating MHC into PHC also seeks to respond to numerous legislative reforms, with the aim of providing comprehensive health care, particularly to previously disadvantaged populations. The aim of the present study was to explore the perceptions of facility managers in the Tshwane District (Gauteng Province) towards the integration of mental health into PHC. Fifteen participants from the Tshwane district facilities participated in the study. The participants were selected through a non-probability purposive sampling method. Data was collected through in-depth interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire, and analysed using the thematic coding approach. Significant findings suggested that the major hindrances to the realisation of the policy objectives may be due to: the lack of rehabilitation and psychotherapeutic services; insufficient skill and knowledge of mental health on the part of staff; insufficient or unsuitable practice space in the facilities; and, poor cooperation between South African Police Services, Emergency Medical Services and Primary Health Care. Inter-facility communication, district implementation support and policy knowledge has notably increased over the years and were deemed to be amongst the biggest enablers.

Thesis (M. A. (Nursing)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / Background: Long patient waiting time for services is demonstrated by daily long queues of patients in Primary Health Care (PHC) and hospitals Outpatients departments. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the factors contributing to long waiting time at Blouberg Health Centre (BHC), Capricorn District, Limpopo Province. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional research design was used to describe factors contributing to long waiting time. The study population consisted 31356 patients in the financial year 2017/2018. Simple random probability sampling was used to select 395 respondents. Data were collected using self-developed questionnaire. All questionnaires were completed and returned. The 395 questionnaires were then analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 25). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze and describe and summarized data. Findings: The findings were presented in the form of distribution graphs and tables. Inferential statistics were used based on probability and allowed judgement to be made about variables. The study revealed factors considered most important were lack of commitment; full time study leaves at the same year; workshops; sick leaves; increased population; sitting in tearoom for hours; many foreign national without passports; staff shortages; laissez faire working style and transfers or escorting patients, while the nearby Hellen Franz Hospital (HFH) also transfer to the same hospitals, leading to mismanagement of budget reduced manpower and increased death rate. Recommendations: The study recommends that all Primary Health Care (PHC) settings should use numbers for patients when entering facilities to monitor the queuing and prevent dissatisfaction that can result from long waiting. Conclusion: It is of paramount importance to provide clearer, transparent information to the recipients of the Primary health care services that they might receive. The provincial coordinators are accountable to the waiting time management with the assistance of the PHC specialist nurse and Nursing Management.

Thesis (M. A. (Nursing Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Background: Non-attendance of diabetic patients at primary health care facilities for scheduled appointments has been identified as one of the most pressing issues in chronic illness, including diabetes mellitus, management and results into uncontrolled illnesses. Diabetes mellitus has an increased mortality and morbidity rate, thus has been identified as the second most frequent killer disease in South Africa. Aim of the study: The purpose of the study is to determine self-management strategies to maintain a healthy life for diabetic patients under treatment in primary health care facilities in the Sekhukhune District. Methods: A qualitative, phenomenological, explorative and descriptive study design was conducted in 5 clinics of the Sekhukhune District in the Elias Motswaledi Municipality in Limpopo Province. Data were collected through one-to-one interviews using semi-structured guide. An non-probability purposive sampling method was used to select participants until data saturation was reached. Data were analysed using Tech’s coding qualitative data analysis approach. Results: The findings of this research reveal that diabetic patients know the importance of adherence to diet. However, they also elaborated on the challenges they face, like inability to afford proper diet and their stress levels. They are aware of predisposing factors and recommend support structures like food parcels as well as adhering to the prescribed treatment. Conclusion and recommendations: Diabetic patients lack self-management strategies to maintain their quality of life when diagnosed with diabetes. Furthermore, the study concludes that diabetics lack encouragement and empowerment from health care workers and their families. The study recommends that diabetic patients adhere to a prescribed diet and treatment and that they could be offered food parcels and taught how to avoid factors that could trigger stress. Additionally, it is recommended that support structures be developed to assist diabetic patients about self-management strategies that they could use in order to maintain a good quality of v life. It is also recommended that the Department of Health employ Home-Based Carers in the facilities to assist diabetic patients with their day-to-day care.

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.

Bibliography: leave 85-90. / Health care systems play an important role in maintaining good health in communities. In South Africa, Africans are continually faced with the dilemma of choosing western or traditional values. The literature has shown that African people use both western and traditional systems simultaneously. The South African government is also considering to include traditional healers in the national health policy .This study examines the opinions of African parents or caretakers of children at Red Cross War Memorial Children' s Hospital regarding their use of western and traditional health systems and their opinion regarding their linkage. The research method for this exploratory study was a focus group and structured interview. The results indicated that in the communities from which the respondents were drawn there are many Africans who consult traditional healers. The results further indicated that many Africans consult both western doctors and traditional healers for the same medical problem. The results also indicated that the respondents considered it necessary to link traditional healers to western health settings. Recommendations for future research are included.

Thesis (M.Dev. (Development Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The foster care backlog has been a challenge in the National Department of Social Development for some years which resulted in the lapsing of foster care grants and thousands of children left without legal and statutory protection. Due to this, civil society took the Department of Social Development to court as this challenge impacted negatively on the family functioning of foster families as they lost access to social grants. The Department of Social Development was ordered by the South Gauteng High Court to come up with an extensive legal solution by the end of December 2014 but, to date, the foster care backlog is still piling up and foster families‟ standard of life is threatened. The social workers who are mandated by the Children‟s Act to conduct the statutory process and place children in foster care are inundated by the high foster care backlog. The aim of the research study was to explore the challenges social workers face in relation to managing foster care backlog cases at the Department of Social Development in the Polokwane Municipality area, Limpopo Province. The research study was based on a qualitative research method whereby a small sample of 21 foster care social workers from three service points (Aganang Cluster, Polokwane East and Polokwane West) were interviewed. The researcher used face to face semi-structured interviews to collect primary data from the participants. The findings from the study affirmed that there were indeed challenges in managing the foster care backlog. Lack of support and training, together with inequitable distribution of cases, are the most dominant challenges identified by the participants. In order for the provincial Department of Social Development to reduce the high caseload and for the clients to continue receiving the best service, the research study recommends that the vacant post be filled as soon as possible. Furthermore, training on legislation dealing with children including the Children‟s Act is also recommended for social workers. The researcher is of the opinion that the findings and the recommendations of the study may add value in managing foster care backlog in the Polokwane Municipality area and Limpopo Province as a whole, if they can be considered and applied.