Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Good health is a major imperative for social, economic and personal
development, thus an important dimension of quality of life. Quality of life, in
turn, is significantly influenced by access to the goods and services provided
by the State. Access to infrastructure and services such as water and
sanitation, has direct effects on health. Thus, the delivery of health, water and
sanitation services should ensure improved access to basic needs, enhance
the health profile of poor communities and their access to employment
opportunities. Safe clean water supplies and adequate sanitation services
therefore are among the major determinants of health. Health-related services
such as water and sanitation should ensure a certain average life expectancy
and eliminate mass disease and ill health.
Mindful of the fact that there are many factors that determine the quality of life,
the aim of the study was to investigate the impact of health, water and
sanitation services in improving the quality of life among poor communities.
To do this, this study adopted a comparative qualitative analysis approach
between poorly serviced and adequately serviced areas. Subsequent to the
findings, this study espouses constructive suggestions and recommendations
that could act as guidance to community development agencies' strategies in
amelioration of the quality of life among poverty-stricken communities. The
research was based on a narrow model of services (health, water and
sanitation services) that have impact on improving the quality of life among
poor communities. The empirical findings of this study indicate these services
to be insufficient to draw conclusive findings in other aspects of the survey.
The research was conducted in a sample of 573 households in 6 communities
in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape Provinces in South Africa. The
sample comprised 3 communities in the category classified as poorly serviced
with health, water and sanitation services, and 3 communities that were
regarded as adequately provided with these services. The data was gathered
by means of structured questionnaires, administered by the researcher with the assistance of a trained field worker. Additional, the data was gathered by
means of a semi-structured, open-ended interview with a Sister-in-Charge of
a clinic in the rural villages. The interaction between variables on the
improvement of the quality of life were explored by means of basic statistics,
which made it possible to assess the effects of independent and dependent
variables.
The results of data analysis provided support for the proposition contained in
the premise of the study that although the provision of health, safe clean
water and adequate sanitation services lead to improvement in the standard
of living, their impact alone does not incorporate all the attributes that
enhance quality of life as suggested by mainstream schools of thought in the
health sector. Poverty-related factors also have to be taken into account. As
such, the findings of this study have shown that poverty, combined with poor
public health conditions, inadequate nutrition, overcrowded poor quality
housing, lack of accessible drinking water and sanitation, renders
communities vulnerable to ill health.
Given the poor socio-economic conditions prevalent in the communities under
investigation, it was not surprising that tuberculosis was most prevalent in all
areas. In line with the premise of this study, there were instances that povertyrelated
factors such as income, housing and nutrition had significant
influences with regard to improvement in the quality of life. It became evident
therefore that in certain instances, health, water, and sanitation services alone
are not sufficient to make conclusive findings. Thus, the impact of povertyrelated
factors such as income, housing and nutrition necessitate expansion
of factors that impact on the quality of life to include their influence. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Goeie gesondheid is 'n belangrike vereiste vir sosiale, ekonomiese en
persoonlike ontwikkeling, en dus ook 'n wesenlike aspek van 'n goeie
lewensgehalte. Toegang tot goedere en dienste wat deur die staat voorsien
word, het ook 'n beduidende invloed op lewensgehalte. Boonop het die
toegang tot infrastruktuur en dienste soos water en sanitasie 'n direkte invloed
op gesondheid. Die lewering van gesondheids, water- en sanitasiedienste
verseker dus die bevrediging van basiese behoeftes, onderwyl arm
gemeenskappe se gesondheidsprofiel en daarmee saam hul toegang tot
werksgeleenthede verbeter word. Toegang tot veilige en skoon waterbronne
en voldoende sanitasiedienste is gevolglik van die belangrikste
gesondheidsbepalers. Gesondheidsverwante dienste soos water en sanitasie
verseker 'n sekere gemiddelde lewensverwagting, en verminder die
moontlikheid van wydverspreide siektetoestande.
Met inagneming van die feit dat lewensgehalte deur talle faktore beïnvloed
kan word, was die doel van hierdie studie om ondersoek in te stel na die
invloed van gesondheids, water- en sanitasiedienste op die verbetering van
lewensgehalte in arm gemeenskappe. Gevolglik is 'n vergelykende analise
tussen areas met swak dienslewering en areas met bevredigende
dienslewering uitgevoer. Op grond van die bevindinge word sekere voorstelle
en aanbevelings gemaak wat kan dien as riglyne vir
ontwikkelingsagentskappe ter bevordering van die lewensgehalte in arm
gemeenskappe. Die navorsing was gegrond op 'n beperkte model van dienste
(gesondheids, water- en sanitasiedienste) wat die verbetering van
lewensgehalte in arm gemeenskappe beïnvloed. Die empiriese bevindinge
van die studie toon aan dat hierdie dienste onvoldoende is om as basis te
dien vir beslissende uitsprake oor ander aspekte van die opname.
Die studie het 'n steekproef van 573 huishoudings in 6 gemeenskappe in die
provinsies van die Oos-Kaap en Wes-Kaap in Suid-Afrika ingesluit. Die
steekproef het bestaan uit 3 gemeenskappe met swak gesondheids, water en
sanitasiedienste, en 3 gemeenskappe waar sulke dienste op 'n bevredigende vlak voorsien word. 'n Gestruktureerde vraelys is gebruik om
die navorsingsinligting in te samel, wat deur die navorser en 'n opgeleide
veldwerker toegedien is. Bykomende inligting is bekom deur 'n semigestruktureerde
onderhoud met die verpleeghoof van 'n kliniek in 'n landelike
gemeenskap. Die invloed van die verskillende veranderlikes op lewensgehalte
is deur middel van basiese statistiese analise geëvalueer.
Die resultate van die data-analise verleen 'n mate van steun vir die premis
van die studie dat hoewel die voorsiening van gesondheid, veilige, skoon
water en voldoende sanitasie tot 'n beter lewenstandaard kan lei, die
uitwerking daarvan as sodanig nie alle vereistes insluit vir 'n beter
lewenstaard nie, soos voorgestaan deur hoofstroom denkskole in die
gesondheidsektor. Faktore wat met armoede verband hou moet ook in ag
geneem word.
Die studie se bevindinge dui dus daarop dat armoede, tesame met swak
openbare gesondheidstoestande, onvoldoende voeding, gebrekkige
behuising en swak water- en sanitasiegeriewe gemeenskappe meer
kwesbaar maak.
Weens die swak sosio-ekonomiese toestande in die gemeenskappe in die
steekproef, is gevind dat tuberkulose wydverspreid voorkom. Alhoewel die
studie se hipotese met betrekking tot verskeie aspekte bevestig is, was daar
ook gevalle waar armoede-verwante faktore soos inkomste, behuising en
voeding 'n beduidende rol gespeel het. Dit het dus geblyk dat gesondheids,
water- en sanitasiedienste nie in alle gevalle voldoende is om swak
lewensgehalte te verklaar nie. Dus sal die faktore wat op lewens kwaliteit 'n
impak maak, uitgebrei moet word om vir die invloed van armoede-verwante
faktore soos inkomste, behuising en voeding voorsiening te maak.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/49987 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Manona, Wellman Wela |
| Contributors | Cloete, Fanie, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xx, 237, 15 pages : map |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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