3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Health care workers' knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding prevention of smoking in gold mine workers(2008-05-14T09:33:39Z) Govender, Vanessa GanesegerieAbstract Background: The high prevalence of smoking on the mines contributes significantly to the public health burden due to exposure to crystalline silica dust and high HIV and TB prevalence rates. Progressive anti-tobacco legislation that informs workplace smoking policies is in existence but there are no formal smoking interventions to achieve the objectives of such policies and to facilitate health promotion. Health care workers, in particular have a vital role to play in this regard. Objectives: The objectives of this research study were to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices of HCWs regarding prevention of smoking in gold mine workers and to use this information to propose a framework for a smoking intervention programme for the mines. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) study. Data were obtained from 69 HCWs using self-administered questionnaires, from 161 occupational lung disease (OLD) and 30 medical ward admission record reviews, and from 4 informal discussions. Results: While knowledge and attitudes about smoking was good overall and 84.1% of HCWs reported that they would routinely ask smoking status and document it, this was not done in practice. An overwhelming majority of HCWs are aware that smoking is harmful to one’s health (98.6%); is harmful to mine workers’ health (97.1%), and predisposes them to acquiring lung diseases (95.7%). Half (56.7%) of the nurses, but no doctors documented smoking history on admission and poor follow up of this advice (38.5%) is an area of concern. HCWs identified a need for support structures such as workplace and community programmes that include education, training and awareness campaigns. Conclusion: Overall, HCWS are responsive to workplace smoking interventions: they are knowledgeable, and show insight and have positive attitudes towards smoking interventions, but a more enabling environment is required to establish good workplace practices. To this end a “Proposed framework for smoking interventions on the mines, incorporating the HCW programme” has been developed and partially implemented. Awareness of this study and its preliminary findings has already demonstrated a paradigm shift in thinking about tobacco on the gold mines.Item Prevalence and trends of smoking in South African platinum miners(2008-05-12T08:57:45Z) Cheyip, Mireille Yimnga Ngantcha Chamba KapsehABSTRACT Background: In association with other occupational exposures like silica dust and radon, cigarette smoking impacts on the health of miners, especially with regard to the risk of developing COPD, PTB and lung cancer. These compensable diseases place a great burden on both miners and mines. The prevalence of smoking among black miners in South Africa is unknown and data for white miners are not recent. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of smoking and smoking trends in miners in a platinum mining company from 1998 to 2002 and to describe some important factors associated with their smoking habits. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using medical surveillance data about employees of a platinum mining company from 1998 to 2002. Results: Over 80000 repeated records of over 25000 miners were studied over the five-year period. The prevalence of smokers was 44.4%. Miners were less likely to smoke in 2002 than in 1998 (OR 0.23, CI 0.21 – 0.25). Over this period, smoking prevalence dropped from 43.3% to 31.3%. The decrease was evident in most socio-demographic groups. There was also a decrease in cigarette consumption over time (p<0.001). Multivariable analysis showed that whites were more likely to “always†and/or “ever†smoke than blacks (adjusted OR=2.4, CI 1.79 – 3.20 and OR 2.5, CI 1.98 – 3.27, respectively). Conclusion: Even though there has been a decline in smoking prevalence since 1998, the relatively higher prevalence in platinum miners compared to that of the general population, and the additional effect of occupational exposures, are still a public health concern. There is need to establish smoking cessation and prevention programmes and to continue collecting detailed smoking information during annual surveillance programmes that could be used to monitor the effectiveness of such programmes.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