Teenage pregnancy among high school girls in Mthatha, South Africa
- Authors: Meel, A
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Teenage pregnancy -- Prevention , Teenage pregnancy -- Social aspects , South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPH
- Identifier: vital:18428 , http://hdl.handle.net/11260/d1006969
- Description: Teenage pregnancy is an important health and social problem in South Africa. Despite declining trends of fertility rates in last two decades, the pregnancy among school girls remains steadily high in South Africa. Teenage pregnancy had negative impacts on various aspects of socio-economic well being of school girls. Aim: To determine the proportion of teenage pregnancy among high school girls and to identify the possible factors that influence teenage pregnancy in Mthatha region during the year 2009. Materials and Methods: This is an observational cross sectional, analytic study of teenage pregnancy conducted among high school teenage girls in the Mthatha region of South Africa. Result: A total of 1150 teenage girls from 15 to 19 years of ages responded from seven high schools in the Mthatha region of South Africa. In total 113 (10%) of teenage high school girls were currently mothers or had previously been pregnant. The proportions of those who had ever been pregnant increased significantly with age. The risk of falling pregnant among public high school teenage girls had two times higher compared to private high school teenage girls. Condoms were the most common method of contraception whereas the oral pills were the least common in practice. About half of teenage girls who had ever been pregnant had an abortion and of this one-third had had a backstreet/illegal abortion. The frequency of substance use was significantly higher among teenage girls who had ever been pregnant. A significant correlation was found between low socio-economic status, public schools and teenage pregnancy in this study. Conclusion: Teenage pregnancy is common among high school girls from 15 to 19 years of age in the Mthatha Region, South Africa. Poor socio-economic family conditions, lack of contraceptive use, early sexual maturation, risky behaviour, lack of knowledge about sexuality and reproductive health, multiple sexual partners and substance use were the common contributing factors of teenage pregnancy.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Assessment of quality nursing care in healthcare facilities of Mnquma Sub-District
- Authors: Manyela, Nosiphiwo
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Health facilities
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPH
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16747 , vital:40770
- Description: Aim: The purpose of the study was to assess the quality of patient care in the Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities of Mnquma Sub-district with the goal of improving or maintaining quality nursing in the area. Methodology: This study followed a quantitative research approach and it is descriptive in nature. The study involved 561 participants, of whom 406 participants were from urban clinics and 155 were from rural facilities, all these participants were attending clinics at Mnquma Sub-district. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection, since the participants were able to read and write in either English and or IsiXhosa. The data was analyzed with the help of a statistician using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program, software for windows version 21.0 Results: Results showed that participant’s responses to five of the twelve items on patient safety were found to have significant associations with residential setting. Rural participants were less likely to disagree with statements on availability of signage at the entrance of health establishment that indicates times when various services are offered, availability of the security guards to ensure patient safety, warning signs always put in place when the floors are wet, availability of at least one toilet for disabled patients in the health establishment and the fact that health professionals are always wearing name tags. This means that patient safety and security is practiced and implemented at the rural facilities according to the national core standards. The findings of the study confirmed that 13 items out of 19 under care and attitudes were found to have significant associations with residential setting. The items were patients spending less than 2 hours in the health facility; staff treating patients politely, illness being explained clearly to the patients, and ability of the patients to ask questions about their illness. Other items included nursing attitudes during opening and closing times of the health establishment, staff responding well when requested to assist, patients are being treated with empathy, patients are addressed by names and patients are being given all the treatment that they need, nurses explains the treatment side effects, and explains how to deal with side effects. This means that responses to these items depend on whether the patient is from a rural or urban clinic. Rural communities were found to be vi less likely to disagree with statements as compared to urban communities. This means that nurses are compliant with nursing care and attitudes in rural clinics. Findings of the study with respect to facility cleanliness, shows that there is no significant associations between the responses to the items which are: surroundings of the clinic are free of unpleasant smells, grounds of the clinic are clean, safe and clean grounds, bin waste inside and outside storage poses no health risks, and setting were detected. This means that the facilities are and cleanliness status remains the same across the residential settings. However, the younger age group was found be significantly more likely to disagree that toilets are clean and odorless and that grounds are safe and clean compared to the older age group. This suggests that the environment is clean except the toilets. Conclusion: Staffs at the facilities are at times ignorant and have negative attitudes at the opening and closing times and facilities have been reported to have long waiting times. The study indicated that the safety and security measures in the urban health facilities are not all practiced according to the National Core Standards checklist/Assessment tool, particularly wet warning signs, disabled toilets, and wearing of nametags. Majority of the participants indicated that, the status of cleanliness was on par at the urban and rural facilities.
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- Date Issued: 2019