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Biomedical subjects

W Pick

Publications and source records attributed to W Pick.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Urbanisation and women's health in South Africa.

For many decades the migrant labor system and the influx control legislation in South Africa exacerbated male-dominant patterns of migration typical of Africa. In recent years, however, and especially following the easing of influx control legislation in 1986, migration in South Africa has increasingly involved women. This paper reports on a study conducted in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, which explored the relationship between urbanisation and the health of women. The objectives were to relate age, migration, length of stay in urban areas, employment status, and occupation to the health, including reproductive health, of women living in Khayelitsha. Interviews with 659 women (61 households had no senior woman) revealed that women enjoyed considerable social support through their neighbours, church organisations, and women's organisations. Women who lived in the most deprived section of Khayelitsha enjoyed more support from their neighbours but reported less satisfaction with the area in which they lived. Child-care support was poor and a considerable proportion of the women were disempowered by their male partners. More than 90 percent of the women had access to antenatal care. Recent immigrants had more pregnancies, were less aware of screening for cervical cancer, less likely to have had a Pap smear, less knowledgeable about where to have a Pap smear done, and less likely to have heard AIDS. More women were aware of AIDS (86%) than Pap smears (45%). More than half of those of childbearing age used contraception, mainly intramuscular hormones (76%). A significant proportion (53%) of the women reported that they had had their first pregnancy as teenagers and younger, less educated women were more likely to have had adolescent pregnancies. Policy makers are confronted by a compelling need to redress well-known urban-rural inequalities in health care in South Africa. Policy attention must also be given to the increasing urbanisation of women and the growing health care needs in urban areas.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Cervical cytology screening--knowledge, attitudes and practice in a peri-urban settlement.

AIM: To determine the knowledge, attitudes and practice of women living in peri-urban settlements with regard to screening for cervical cancer. METHOD: A community-based questionnaire survey of 165 women living in a defined area of Khayelitsha, a peri-urban settlement on the outskirts of Cape Town. RESULTS: Two hundred households were visited, with a response rate of 84%. Median age of respondents was 27.5 years. The majority of interviewees were married (53.3%), unemployed (61.5%), had an educational status of standard 4 or less (58.1%) and had been living in Cape Town for 4 years or more (64.3%). The median parity was 2 (range 0-11). Most interviewees were currently using contraception (52.4%). One-third (35.4%; 95% CI 28.1-42.7%) of interviewees had heard of the Pap smear. Of these women, most had obtained their information from the midwife obstetric unit (MOU), and this was the most commonly reported facility where Pap tests were known to be done. The majority of interviewees did not regard the test (or the prospect thereof) as embarrassing (88.4%), painful (89.1%) or harmful (90.9%), and indicated that they would have the test done (89.1%). The most important reason for choice of where the test should be done was proximity to place of residence (83.9%). More than one-third of interviewees reported having had a Pap test (37.2%; 95% CI 28.8-44.8%). The most common reason for not having had a test was that the interviewee had never heard of it (81.3%). Most had undergone the test at a MOU (65.6%), where it had been part of an antenatal work-up (80.3%). Fewer than half of the interviewees who had undergone a test knew the result of their test. CONCLUSION: The antenatal, obstetric and family planning services in the area have been effective, to a limited extent, in providing information and conducting screening. However, these services are missing many opportunities to fulfill this function, and knowledge and practice of cervical cytology screening in this community are poor. With the implementation of a rational policy for screening in this area there is the potential to achieve good coverage.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

AIDS--knowledge, attitudes and practices among STD clinic attenders in the Cape Peninsula.

This study aimed to determine knowledge about, attitudes to and practices associated with AIDS among sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic attenders in the Cape Peninsula. A questionnaire containing open and closed questions in the appropriate language (English, Afrikaans or Xhosa) was administered by trained clinic staff to 306 patients in 9 of the 29 STD clinics in the region. The median age of attenders was 25 years. The median period of residence in the peninsula was 7 years. There was inadequate awareness of the asymptomatic carrier state, the incurability of AIDS and ways to prevent AIDS. Sexual practice was a high risk: 70.4% of male attenders reported 2 or more partners since the beginning of the year (average 9 months); 39.5% of men reported more than one episode of STD in the previous 2 years. Prostitution was perceived to be common in attenders' communities. There was a low perception of risk to self, and intention to change behaviour was low. More information about AIDS was requested by 98% of patients. These findings are discussed with reference to the health belief model, Fischbein and Ajzen's theory of reasoned action and Catania et al.'s AIDS risk reduction model. This study supports the urgent need for AIDS education and counselling programmes for patients with STDs in the region. Recommendations include the need to address the beliefs and attitudes that affect behaviour, as well as to convey knowledge.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

Current trends in infant feeding.

This study examined aspects of newborn feeding in a maternity hospital and also investigated feeding practices during the first 6 months of life. Four hundred and fifty mothers were interviewed while in the maternity hospital. The majority (93%) had booked for their confinement and had attended antenatal clinics regularly. Most had had early contact with the baby at birth and stated that they thought breast-milk was best for the baby. Despite this only 54.6% had given breast-milk as the first feed and only 10% had done so within the first hour. Most mothers (54%) stated that they preferred a timed feeding routine to demand-feeding, while 86% planned to give water between feeds. The majority indicated they would change to formula feeds should they experience problems with breast-feeding. A follow-up visit of 78 mothers 6 months later showed that 50% breast-fed exclusively for 3 - 4 months and 23% for 6 - 7 months. When feeding problems occurred only 27% of the mothers utilised the local authority baby clinic for help. The main reasons given for stopping breast-feeds were insufficient milk, the need for employment and feeding problems. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Attitude↗
PubMed1988

Morbidity profile of the Mamre community.

Various morbidity parameters in Mamre, a village of 4,623 residents in the western Cape, are described. Acute morbidity (either injury or illness) occurring in the 2 weeks before the survey was reported by 4% of respondents. Investigation of several chronic conditions for which people said that they were receiving treatment yielded rates of 57/1,000 for hypertension, 29/1,000 for 'nerves', 13/1,000 for diabetes and 19/1,000 for tuberculosis; 9.9% of respondents reported disability. Reported morbidity increased with age, was commoner in women than in men, and agreed with perceptions of individuals' health. Tuberculosis, inadequate sewerage and water facilities, alcohol abuse and dusty roads were perceived to be the main health problems by the community. The morbidity profile and the relatively high rate of pscyhosocial problems found are consistent with a process of urbanisation in a predominantly working-class community.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Mamre Community Health Project--rationale and methods.

The overall aim of the Mamre Community Health Project is to improve the health status of the people of Mamre and to develop an approach to health promotion which may be applicable to other similar areas. Integral to this is the establishment of a surveillance system to monitor changes longitudinally with particular reference to the effects of interventive programmes and the rural-urban transition that the community is experiencing. A multidisciplinary approach that also involves both postgraduate and undergraduate students will be utilised. This article outlines the methodology employed in the first phase of the project, which was concerned with the collection of the baseline data to determine priorities, plan interventions and establish a suitable surveillance system. Approximately 1,000 households were visited and 5,000 residents interviewed by 10 trained interviewers who were selected from the community. Sampling was not used. Methodological issues addressed include the methods used to gain the co-operation and participation of the community, development of an appropriate questionnaire, selection and training of interviewers, supervision of field-work, coding of data and steps taken to ensure the reliability and validity of information collected. Thorough planning with meticulous attention to detail ensured that the Mamre Community Health Project was completed on target with fairly smooth implementation of the data collection phase. Future research will focus on refining epidemiological methods, especially aspects of study design, case definition and exposure status.

Data Collection↗