Where you live matters: Township neighborhood factors important to resilience among south African children from birth to 5 years of age
Objective: This is a secondary analysis examining neighborhood factors predicting high rates of child resilience in South African Township neighborhoods. Methods: A population cohort of South African pregnant women (98%; n = 1238), were recruited and assessed across five years with high follow-up rates (83–96%). Resilient children were identified based on consistently meeting global standards […]
Early diagnosis is critical to ensure good outcomes in HIV-infected children: Outlining barriers to care
HIV-infected children require early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to ensure good outcomes. The aim was to investigate missed opportunities in childhood HIV diagnosis leading to delayed ART initiation. Baseline data were reviewed of all children aged
Reproductive health outcomes: Insights from experts and verbal autopsies
BACKGROUND: Reproductive health outcomes are a measure of maternal and neonatal health. South Africa’s state of maternal health is of particular concern because of the two Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets for monitoring maternal health, namely MDG 5a, to reduce the maternal mortality rate by three-quarters, and MDG 5b, to achieve universal access to reproductive […]
Online Data Collection in Developing Nations: An Investigation into Sample Bias in a Sample of South African University Students
The utility of online methods of data collection has led to the rapid adoption of Internet-based surveys for social sciences research. Given the potential problems of noncoverage and nonresponse when making use of this data collection method, the present study aimed to investigate differences between an online and a paper-based sample drawn from the same […]
Maternal tobacco and alcohol use in relation to child malnutrition in gauteng, south africa: A retrospective analysis
Tobacco and alcohol use among mothers is associated with numerous adverse consequences for affected offspring, including poor growth and development. This study determined the association between maternal tobacco and alcohol use, and malnutrition, among infants aged ≤ 12 months (n = 300), in selected health facilities situated in Gauteng, South Africa. Data on alcohol and […]
Child health services during a COVID-19 outbreak in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa
Background. Current evidence indicates that children are relatively spared from direct COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality, but that the indirect effects of the pandemic pose significant risks to their health and wellbeing. Objectives. To assess the impact of the local COVID-19 outbreak on routine child health services. Methods. The District Health Information System data set for […]
Patients’ perspectives of acceptability of ART, TB and maternal health services in a subdistrict of Johannesburg, South Africa
Background: The field of acceptability of health services is emerging and growing in coherence. But there are gaps, including relatively little integration of elements of acceptability. This study attempted to analyse collectively three elements of acceptability namely: patient-provider, patient-service organisation and patient-community interactions. Methods: Mixed methods were used to analyse secondary data collected as part […]
Reproducing neglect in the place of care: Normalised violence within Cape Town Midwifery Obstetric Units
Access to quality maternal health care within South Africa is strongly determined by where a woman lives and her socioeconomic positioning. Through an analysis of experiences shared by nurses and midwives working within Midwifery Obstetric Units (MOUs) within Cape Town, this article considers how the South African health system maintains and reproduces gendered inequalities. The […]
Point-of-care CD4 testing to inform selection of antiretroviral medications in South African antenatal clinics: A cost-effectiveness analysis
Background Many prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) programs currently prioritize antiretroviral therapy (ART) for women with advanced HIV. Point-of-care (POC) CD4 assays may expedite the selection of three-drug ART instead of zidovudine, but are costlier than traditional laboratory assays. Methods We used validated models of HIV infection to simulate pregnant, HIV-infected women (mean age […]
Adverse or acceptable: Negotiating access to a post-apartheid health care contract
Background: As in many fragile and post-conflict countries, South Africa’s social contract has formally changed from authoritarianism to democracy, yet access to services, including health care, remains inequitable and contested. We examine access barriers to quality health services and draw on social contract theory to explore ways in which a post-apartheid health care contract is […]
