3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item A Validation study of the sense of coherence scale using two South African samples(2007-03-01T11:05:14Z) Randall, Susan JaneThis study undertook to investigate the validity of the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC Scale) for use in South Africa. The scale was developed by Antonovsky (1987) and is widely used in stress and health research. It measures three components: meaningfulness, comprehensibility, and manageability, which Antonovsky posited as being central to a person’s sense of coherence (SOC), which in turn facilitates coping and personal resilience. The current research utilised two samples, namely a group of disabled individuals and a group of undergraduate psychology students. It found that while the SOC Scale is indeed a useful psychometric instrument within a South African context, it would be advisable to develop a modified version of the scale for local use. Factor analysis suggested that a three-factor solution is more appropriate than a one-factor solution, a finding which is congruent with Antonovsky’s theory. Suggestions are made for modifications to some of the original 29 items, as well as the subscales, of the SOC Scale.Item Prevalence and patterns of tobacco use among woman in Benin city, Nigeria(2006-11-20T10:04:18Z) Okwuolise, Ogheneruemu VincentBackground: Tobacco use is one of the single biggest causes of preventable deaths and is increasingly affecting developing countries and men and women alike. Tobacco use is historically more common in men but is becoming more common among women. In the absence of population-based health information in many dev eloping countries and sub- Saharan Africa in particular, public health planning and priority setting is in disarray. Most of the prevalence studies on tobacco have concentrated on smoked tobacco and men in particular. This cross-sectional study design looked at the prevalence, patterns and determinants of tobacco use among women in Benin City, an urban area in Nigeria. Methods: 491 face-to-face interviews were conducted in 45 enumeration areas randomly sampled in Oredo LGA in Benin City, Nigeria. Twelve households were randomly sampled in each EA and eligible woman over the age of 18 years was identified in each household. Results: The prevalence of tobacco use was 8.8% comprising of smoking (3.3%) and smokeless (5.5%) initiation occur during the teenage years mostly. Smoking cigarettes was more common among the younger, more educated women and Tabba (a mixture of powdered dry tobacco leaf and sodium bicarbonate) used mostly by older less educated women (RR = 3.10, CI = 1.01 - 9.48). The participants perceived friends using tobacco as a reason for their starting to use tobacco. Determinants of tobacco use were education, exposure to tobacco advertising and / or promotions which occurs almost unrestricted despite some tobacco control legislations. Dr. OV Okwuolise; 0209663K/2005 Page 2 of 2 Conclusions: The findings suggest that tobacco use is going on unhindered and unless something is done to curtail the activities of the tobacco industry, a major public health catastrophe is looming.Item Trends and patterns of smoking in the South African adult population: 1995-1998(2006-10-25T14:22:05Z) Braimoh, BelloBackground Smoking is undoubtedly a major risk factor for morbidity, disability and premature death. Its use results in grave health and economic losses not only to the individual but also to the population and the world at large. Many surveys have been done in South Africa to estimate the prevalence of smoking. It is therefore imperative and expedient to have an overall impression of the prevalence rates over time. And also it is important to assess how subgroups affect the prevalence and trends in the national population. This will be of help in determining which subgroups have achieved reduction in smoking prevalence and which have not; evaluating the tobacco control policies in the country; and in designing specific interventions. This research was undertaken to determine the trends and patterns of smoking in the South African adult population Objectives The objectives for this study were: Regarding the South African adult population during 1995 – 1998, to: 1. Compute the prevalence of smoking and assess the trends of smoking prevalence. 2. Assess the patterns and trends of smoking prevalence in subgroups by sex, age, marital status, race, locality (urban or rural), education and province. 3. Identify factors in the population that may account for patterns and trends in smoking prevalence over time 4. Make recommendations regarding the public health implications of the findings 5 Methods This was an analytical study involving secondary analysis of existing datasets from four South African representative national surveys. From 11 surveys, which measured smoking in the South African population, four surveys were selected using some inclusion and exclusion criteria. The population of interest was the South Africa adult population (18 – 49), so variables of interest (outcome variable was current smokers) for this group were extracted. Prevalence (frequency) rates estimation of smoking in the national population and in subgroups were then estimated. Unadjusted odds ratios and adjusted odds ratios were computed by bi-variate cross tabulation and multivariate logistic regression respectively. Time-trend analyses (Maentel Haenszel chi-squared test) were computed by logistic regression for trend in proportions Results From 1995 to 1997 about 1/3 of the adult South African population were smokers, but that dropped significantly to about ¼ in 1998. For the period however, there was no significant trend. The prevalence of smoking varied with, and was largely depended on population subgroup; while it was as high as 63.9% among Coloured males, 62.3% among Coloured females, 53.7 % among all males, 52.7% among rural males, it was as low as 11.4% among all females, 6.8% among rural females, 10.83% among Indian females and 5.06% among Black females. The only significant trends was an increasing smoking prevalence among Blacks, Coloured men, people with tertiary education, Free State and Gauteng provinces, age group 35 – 44; urban men and a decreasing smoking prevalence in all women, urban women and black women, age group 18 – 24 and the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Northen Cape and Mpumalanga provinces. Sex, race, age, and education were the major risk factors for smoking in the