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The Central African Journal of
Medicine
ABSTRACTS (Vol.45.
No.1.)
The Central African Journal
of Medicine, Vol. 45, No.1, 1999, pp. 1-3
Television as a medium for psycho-education in
South Africa: analysis of calls to a Mental Health
Information Centre after screening of a TV series on
psychiatric disorders
C WESSELS, J VAN KRADENBERG, I MBANGA, RA EMSLEY, DJ
STEIN
Objectives: As
one of the most powerful media, television may have an
important role to play in providing psycho-education in
both developed and developing countries. The South
African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) recently screened
a TV series that focused on the signs and symptoms of the
main psychiatric disorders. The aim of this paper is to
describe calls to our Mental Health Information Centre
after screening of the series.
Design: The TV
series "Improve Your Frames of Mind" was
developed by an independent producer in collaboration
with the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa, and
was screened by the SABC. At the end of each show, the
telephone number of our Mental Health Information Centre
was given to viewers. All calls to our centre were
entered into a database and later analysed.
Setting: A mental
Health Information Centre in South Africa.
Subjects: Callers
to the Mental Health Information Centre.
Results: Almost
3 000 calls were taken by three psychiatric nurses
working at the Mental Health Information Centre. Calls
related to each of the major psychiatric disorders,
particularly the mood and anxiety disorders. Callers
expressed satisfaction with the information that they
received from the Centre.
Conclusion: A TV series
on psychiatric disorders appeared successful in
encouraging viewers to seek additional information.
Indeed, additional telephone lines would have allowed
even more calls to be fielded. Further research is
necessary to determine whether it would be useful for TV
to portray specific treatment interventions.
The Central
African Journal of Medicine, Vol. 45, No.1, 1999, pp. 4-6
Towards malaria control: the knowledge of health
care providers about mosquito and malaria transmission
VA WAGBATSOMA, O OGBEIDE
Objective: To find out how much
health care providers know about the transmission of
malaria and the vector.
Design: A cross sectional study was
carried out using a predesigned questionnaire which was
self administered by the student to collect the necessary
information for analysis. Live samples of mosquito
larvae, drawn larva and adults were provided for the
subjects to identify to assess theft knowledge.
Setting: The University of Benin
Teaching Hospital and the School of Health Technology.
Subjects: 254 randomly selected
Community Health Officers in training at the University
of Benin Teaching Hospital and the School of Health
Technology in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.
Main Outcome Measures: Many of the
students had no knowledge of the subject. The School's
authorities were encouraged to include field practicals
in their curriculum to improve the students' knowledge on
mosquitoes and malaria transmission.
Results: Only (26.8%) and (18.1%)
of the subjects could identify both drawn and live larvae
respectively while (25.2%) identified the adult mosquito
correctly. All the respondents knew that the mosquito
transmits diseases but quite a few knew the diseases
transmitted included malaria (55.3%), yellow fever
(16.0%) and elephantiasis (10.7%) respectively.
Conclusion: The knowledge of the
students on the biology of mosquitoes and their role as
the malaria vector was poor. The education of the subject
on this important endemic disease is advocated to improve
the quality of life of citizens and promote the
primary-Health Care Programme in Nigeria.
Copyright 1999 The Central African Journal of Medicine
The Central
African Journal of Medicine, Vol. 45, No.1, 1999, pp.
7-10
AIDS related knowledge and sexual behaviour among
commercial farm residents in Zimbabwe
J CHIKOVORE, MT MBIZVO
Objective: To describe sexual
behaviour among residents of commercial farms in
Zimbabwe, their genderspecific differences; to examine
implications of these for HIWAIDS transmission.
Design: A cross sectional
descriptive study.
Setting: Three commercial farming
communities near Harare, Zimbabwe.
Subjects: Convenience sample of 218
adult (age 18+, or ever married) farm residents.
Main Outcome Measures: Number
of sexual partners, secondary sexual relationships
outside marriage, condom ever-use, first sexual partner,
sexually transmitted disease (STD) experience, unprompted
knowledge of HIV.
Results: Knowledge of HIV transmission
was high, with eight to 88% of respondents reporting
various correct means of transmission. Males reported
engaging in riskier behaviour than females, with 60% of
currently married males (n=81) reporting extra marital
affairs compared to 4% of currently married females
(n=91) (OR: 4.02; 95% CI: 1.8 to 9.04). Males were more
likely than females to report a second or further
marriage (OR: 37.9; 95% CI: 16.01 to 92.1 ). Females were
more likely than men to report first sexual partner as
spouse. Fourteen percent of respondents had children of
various ages outside their current union. Reported STD
experiences under various circumstances were negligible
with no differences by sex.
Conclusion: While HIV/AIDS prevention
measures largely rely on individual behavioural change,
preventive efforts should also encompass differences in
sexual behaviour between categories like male and female.
Importantly, this will determine composition of
preventive policy, but also allow a clearer determination
of trends based on the gender-specific behaviours. There
is also need for more research work that attends to
determinants of reporting behaviour beyond aspects of
reported behaviour per se.
The Central
African Journal of Medicine, Vol. 45, No.1, 1999, pp.
11-14
Insulin secretion, clearance and sensitivity in
Black pregnant and non-pregnant women in Harare, Zimbabwe
D MAKUYANA, K MAHOMED, S NDLOVU, KGD MAWJI, S SIZIYA
Objective: To assess whether
reported gestational differences in glucose tolerance in
Caucasian and Black women could be due to alterations in
insulin secretion, clearance or sensitivity.
Design: Cross sectional survey.
Setting: Antenatal Clinic,
Harare; Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences,
University of Zimbabwe.
Subjects: 90 healthy women in all the
trimesters of pregnancy and 30 healthy non-pregnant women
of reproductive age.
Main Outcome Measures: Fasting (basal)
plasma insulin, C-peptide and glucose concentration.
Fasting plasma C-peptide, C-peptide to insulin ratio and
glucose to insulin ratio were used as indices of insulin
secretion, hepatic insulin clearance and insulin
sensitivity respectively.
Results: Not all means of the
fasting plasma glucose levels amongst the four groups of
women were equal (p < 0.001), with all possible
comparisons being significant except for the first and
second trimester groups. Among the comparisons of the
means of the glucose:insulin ratio in the four groups of
women, only the means of the first and second trimester
women differed (mean difference = 0.23, honestly
significance difference = 0.20). All groups were
comparable in the means of plasma insulin, C-peptide
levels and the C-peptide:insulin ratio.
Conclusion: Since fasting plasma
insulin, C-peptide and C-peptide:insulin ratio were not
significantly altered in all trimesters of pregnancy,
these data suggest normal basal insulin secretion and
clearance during gestation in these sub-Saharan African
women.
The Central
African Journal of Medicine, Vol. 45, No.1, 1999, pp.
14-19
The nutritional status of a rural community in
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: the Ndunakazi project
A OELOFSE, M FABER, JG BENADÉ, AJS BENADÉ, DG
KENOYER
Objectives: To assess the
nutritional status of six month to 11 year old rural
Black children and their mothers as a first phase in a
nutrition intervention project.
Design: Cross sectional study.
Setting: A rural African community ±
60km northwest of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Subjects: A random sample of 127
mothers and 105 pre-school and 131 primary school
children were selected from this community.
Main Outcome Measures: Anthropometric
(height and weight), biochemical and dietary and
socio-demographic information was collected.
Results: Among the pre-schoolers
anaemia was present in 23.8%, iron deficiency in 19.8%,
while marginal vitamin A deficiency was observed in
44.9%. Urinary iodine levels indicated moderate iodine
deficiency in 31.8% and severe iodine deficiency in 9.1%.
In primary school children the prevalence of anaemia
was 22%, while marginal vitamin A deficiency was observed
in 50.8%. Moderate iodine deficiency was observed in
37.9% of primary school children while 13.6% presented
with severe iodine deficiency. The prevalence of goitre
in this group was 22.1%. Almost 22% of mothers were
anaemic and 18.9% were iron deficient. Only 1.6% of
mothers were marginally vitamin A deficient. An enlarged
thyroid was observed in 26.7% of mothers of which 17.3%
were palpable and 9.4% visible. Of mothers 43.4% were
overweight while 33.8% were obese.
Conclusion: The rural community
in KwaZulu-Natal, showed a high prevalence of anaemia,
marginal vitamin A deficiency and iodine deficiency. The
information gathered during this cross sectional study
served as a basis to plan and implement an intervention
study aimed at addressing the nutritional deficiencies.
The Central
African Journal of Medicine, Vol. 45, No.1, 1999, pp.
20-21
Case Report: Rhinosporidiosis of the conjunctiva
AU MUKHTAR
Four cases of conjunctival rhinosporiodiosis are
reported. Three of the four cases occurred in children
and one in an adult male. All the cases presented
clinically as conjunctival growth.
The Central
African Journal of Medicine, Vol. 45, No.1, 1999, pp.
21-22
Case Report: Retropharyngeal abscess: an unusual
turn of events in a baby with pneumonia
VV MANDA, K MACHACHE, MI TSHIFULARO, AA HOOSEN
Retropharyngeal abscesses are not uncommon, but are
potentially life threatening. We report a case of a
retropharyngeal abscess diagnosed in a two month old
infant, following poor recovery from bilateral pneumonia.
The child was referred from a peripheral hospital for
pneumonia with apnoeic spells and after initial
assessment was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
at Ga-Rankuwa Hospital.
The child's condition stabilised in the ICU on
antibiotics, however, when he had difficulty in being
weaned off the ventilator (on two occasions), he was
taken for examination under anaesthesia (EUA). The EUA
revealed a fluctuant retropharyngeal abscess and surgical
drainage was performed. Staphylococcus aureus was
grown in pure culture from the aspirated pus and was
susceptible to cloxacillin which was administered for a
total of seven days. The patient made an uneventful
recovery and was discharged after 19 days of
hospitalisation.
The Central
African Journal of Medicine, Vol. 45, No.1, 1999, p. 23
Letters To The Editor
The Confidence Interval (CI)
Dr F Sibanda
Dear Sir,
What exactly is CI?
Here are some quotations found in the literature.
A. A range for the likely values of the population
value.1
B. The interval in which we can be fairly confident
that the population value lies.2
C. Within what range the value in the sampled
population lies.3
D. An infinite number of random samples of the same
size would in 95% of instances contain the true value in
the population (95% CI).4
E. In repeated sampling 95% of the CIs will enclose
the population value (95% CI) (Siziya, lecture to MPH
students).
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