Browsing by Author "Marais, D."
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- ItemThe influence of socio-demographic factors on the nutritional status of children in the Stellenbosch area, Western Cape(Medpharm Publications, 2013) Kirsten, A. P.; Marais, D.; Schubl, C.Objectives: To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity, as well as socio-demographic risk factors associated with childhood overweight and obesity in the Stellenbosch area, Western Cape province. Design: A cross-sectional, comparison study was conducted. Setting and subjects: A representative group of 638 children (aged 6-13 years) attending three randomly selected Stellenbosch primary schools. An additional school was selected for the pilot study. In the screening (first) phase, children were weighed and measured to calculate body mass index using international obesity task force guidelines to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity. For the comparison (second) phase of the study, only 24 overweight and obese children and 21 children of normal weight (comparison group) (n = 45) were included. Outcome measures: Socio-demographic and eating behaviour data were collected using a structured questionnaire and compared between the overweight and obese group and the comparison group (normal weight) to identify associated risk factors. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 13%, of which 9% (n = 57) were overweight and 4% (n = 27) obese in the screening phase. In the comparison phase, socio-economic factors, such as maternal employment hours (p-value = 0.0462); family characteristics, such as the number of children in the household (p-value = 0.0231); and time spent participating in sport (p-value = 0.0450); were significantly associated with overweight or obesity. Conclusion: Preventative initiatives should proactively promote healthy eating behaviour and physical activity in children at an early age, based on previous research, particularly in girls. Involving families and schools in these initiatives is recommended, as well as a national childhood obesity monitoring system to identify children at risk, and tracking childhood obesity trends to guide evidence-based interventions to tackle this growing public health issue.
- ItemNutritional health of young children in South Africa over the first 16 years of democracy(SAJCH, 2011-09) Iversen, P. O.; Du Plessis, L.; Marais, D.; Morseth, M.; Hoisaether, E. A.; Herselman, M.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Objectives. Malnutrition among young children is a major health problem in post-apartheid South Africa. Despite implementation of numerous health and nutrition programmes, these extensive efforts to alleviate the situation have not been adequately reviewed. Methods. We provide an overview of various aspects of the current nutritional health status of young children. The reviewed data are from the time period 1994 - 2010, and were collected from literature databases and official reports, as well as our own experience with field research in various urban and rural parts of the country. Results. Both smaller province-based studies as well as three large nationwide surveys conclude that many young South African children have inadequate nutritional status. Rates of stunting, micronutrient deficiencies and hunger and food insecurity are all unacceptably high. Coexisting HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis add to this burden. A gradual transition to a westernised diet characterised by energy-dense food has led to a worrying increase in overweight and obesity. Conclusion. A major challenge for the South African health authorities is still the fight against childhood undernutrition and hunger, which in turn are rooted in poverty and social inequalities. The double burden of disease adds to the scale and complexity of this challenge.
- ItemWhat do dietetics students think professionalism entails(Health and Medical Publishing Group (HMPG), 2012-07) Marais, D.; Marais, M. L.; Visser, J.; Boome, C.; Taylor, D. C. M.Background. Members of a profession are committed to codes of ethics and professionalism. The aim was to determine which professionalism attributes dietetics students deem important and relevant to their profession. Methods. A total of 109 dietetics students from two universities in the Western Cape, South Africa, completed a demographic questionnaire and were required to sort a pack of cards containing 90 attributes of professionalism into 11 piles, ranging from ‘least agree’ to ‘most agree’. An element of forced choice was introduced by restricting the number of cards in each of the 11 piles (Q-sort). PQMETHOD 2.11 was used for data analysis, ranking items by their mode score and giving an indication of which items were most consistently favoured. Results. Professionalism attributes considered most important included Protect confidential information, Trust, Respect patients’ right of shared decision making, Honesty, Good clinical judgment, Communication skills and Carry out professional responsibilities. Interpersonal professionalism attributes were considered more important than intrapersonal or public professionalism. Conclusion. This study suggests that professionalism attributes are not attained continuously for dietetic students. The findings should form an integral part of dietetic and other health sciences curriculum planning to ensure that the assessment of these attributes is relevant and consistent with development over the years.