The University of Zambia Journals
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Antibiotic prescribing patterns at a level one hospital using national treatment guidelines prescribing indicators in Zambia
Get PDFBackground: Poor Prescribing patterns can greatly have a negative impact on patient care outcomes. With the inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics there tends to be antibiotic resistance, unnecessary expenditure on drugs, and increased risk of adverse reactions. The aim of this study was to assess antibiotic prescribing patterns at Matero level one hospital in the adult admission wards Lusaka, Zambia.
Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was undertaken data was collected using one-year patients records and administration of questionnaires to prescribers. 385 patient record files were selected using random sampling technique and 9 prescribers were enrolled using convenience sampling. National treatment guidelines were utilized to measure rational use of drugs with due focus on antibiotics prescribing patterns. The collected data was analyzed using statistical packages for social science (SPSS) version 23 and reported as Frequencies and percentages.
Results: Out of 385 patient files evaluated, 290 (75.3%) were prescribed with antibiotic(s). A total of 404 antibiotics were prescribed from 290 patient encounters. The average number for the most commonly prescribed antibiotics per prescription was 1.9 Benzylpenicillin (29.7%) followed by co-trimoxazole and metronidazole (19.3%), ceftriaxone (17.0%) and gentamicin (16.3%). The most prevalent conditions were tuberculosis (11.9%), sepsis (10.9%), gastroenteritis (9.6%) Anaemia (9.3%) and Alcohol intoxication (5.7%). lack of bacteriological tests was the main problem.
Conclusion: Given the deviation from recommended standards of prescribing antibiotics, Interventions aimed at improving the antibiotic prescribing patterns need to be implemented so as to prevent the inappropriate use of antibiotics and avoid further complications
ASSESSMENT OF ATTITUDES OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHERS INFLUENCING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM IN NIGERIA
Get PDFFailure to understand the school system gives rise to non-meeting up to Curriculum Implementation of agreed plan and leads to nonperformance. The purpose of this study was to assess the attitude of physical education teachers influencing secondary schools physical education curriculum in Nigeria. To achieve this purpose, purposive sampling technique was used to select the samples from the Six {6} Geo- political zones and the respondents consisted of head of Physical Education Teachers in the Public and Private Secondary Schools. The population for the study was all secondary schools of Fifty Four thousand Five hundred and twenty- one (54,521) with sample size of Six hundred and Fifty six (656). The data collected were statistically analysed using inferential statistics of One Sample t- test used to test the hypotheses. The major findings from the study showed that attitudes of physical education Teachers was T- Cal of 3.109 and P- Val of 0.007 influence the implementation of secondary schools Physical Education curriculum in Nigeria. The researcher recommended the need for all secondary school teachers and students to change their attitude towards physical education as a subject and should strictly adhered to the curriculum to be implemented
Chakwela Makumbi A Faith Event With its Traditional Spirituality Among the Soli Speaking People of Chongwe in Lusaka
No full textThe article investigated the essence of Chakwela Makumbi Ceremony of the Soli people of Chongwe district in order to understand why it is performed and the emerging lessons centred on the spirituality and religiosity of the event. The article drew on participatory observations of the ceremony, interviews with selected custodians of the Soli culture and review of related literature on the subject. It shows that as a faith event, Chakwela Makumbi revolved around teaching people the moral values of God and how to connect to Him, the “Holy Other” in time of existential anxiety because of impeding drought. It is a sacred ritual performed for the expatiation and purification of the people in that those who participate must be of good disposition to God. The article was deemed significant for preserving the ways in which people worship God through the ancestors and utilise the ritual symbols. It also points to the ways in which the ceremony has some semblance with Christian faith principles which can be integrated into it
Democratic Leadership Style and its influence on the Creation of Conducive Teaching and Learning Environments in Colleges of Education in Zambia
Get PDFThe study investigated democratic leadership style to determine its applicability and influence towards the creation of conducive teaching and learning environments in two private and two government owned colleges of education in Zambia. Democratic leadership style has demonstrated to be one of the most effective leadership styles whose efficacy in various organisations is conspicuous in good performance, job satisfaction and motivation of workers, among others. Using mixed method approach, data was generated from 372 participants randomly and purposively selected from principals, vice principals, academic and non-academic staff, Ministry of Education officials, directors and student populace. Employing explanatory sequential design, quantitative data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) tool version 23 and Pearson’s chi-squared test to assess the significant levels of variables as well as get inferences while qualitative data was analysed thematically. The findings illuminated peripheral use of this style of leadership leading to the creation of poor to moderate teaching and learning environments, not conducive for effective teaching and learning. The principal’s ineffective utilisation of tenets of democratic leadership in their administration of colleges has resulted in inept application of democratic leadership. The researcher, therefore, argues that the tenets of democratic leadership should be utilised appropriately for effective administration of the colleges
Documentation and Memorialisation of the First Battles against Colonisation in Zimbabwe
Get PDFThe first few years of British occupation in Zimbabwe was characterised by power struggle between the indigenous population groups who were dissatisfied with systematic settler style of dispossessing them of their wealth and power. The result was local and regional wars, (Rebellions/ Uprisings/ Umvhukela/ 1st Chimurenga). After the war, the British South African Company (BSAC) documented and memorialised most prominent battles of the conflict and yet the indigenous people who could not read and write could not do the same. The article seeks to motivate Zimbabweans to recognise the participation of the indigenous people into this conflict as a historic event whose documentation and memorialisation is an important component of the liberation heritage of Zimbabwe. The documentation and memorialisation of the conflict by the other belligerent is enough authentication that the indigenous people staged a brave and heroic fight which doubtlessly was characterised by commitment to a genuine cause of the black people to protect their birth right. It is only the inability to read and write of our ancestry which has mandated us to accept the description of the era as a dark history, which is worthy documentation and memorialisation for the benefit of the present and future generation. The researchers employed qualitative research method of acquiring data through desktop research and observation techniques. The article came to conclusion that the war between Zimbabwe and the then Rhodesia and their opponents should be documented so as to assist the present generation appreciate the history of the nation and preserve their heritage
Portrayal of Women Through Zambian Memes
Get PDFAmong internet content produced by internet users, are memes. Facebook and WhatsApp have become an integral part of society in this age of social media where the young generation and older adults engage in social interaction. These memes, sometimes, carry wrong perceptions and messages that can create false consciousness among the people. The notion of gender is culturally and socially constructed. Social media sites have reinforced the concept of gender stereotyping through its content. These sites are invisibly controlling people’s lives by transferring the stereotyped ideology. Stereotypes have been a central theme in memes on social media. Some Facebook and WhatsApp memes are portraying women in the way gender roles have been represented. The study adopted a disparagement or superiority theory and social constructionism theory to examine the content of Zambian memes. Data for this article was drawn from general scanning of Facebook and WhatsApp. This study analyses how women are portrayed in Zambian memes on social media, particularly Facebook and WhatsApp. In this regard, this study used purposive sampling and selected 100 Facebook and WhatsApp memes as samples but only thirty were analysed in this study. Using thematic analysis of the sample, the representations of women in the Zambian memes sampled exhibited negative constructions of women and womanhood. Further, the findings showed that the language used in Zambian memes not only imparts joy and laughter, but also some statements that convey hatred, sarcasm, viciousness, and vulgarity to women
Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Men and Women in land Conversion Processes in Central Zambia.
Get PDFZambia’s Lands Act of 1996 provides for the conversion of land rights from customary to leasehold tenure by Zambian citizens and non- Zambians. This study reports on land conversion processes engaged in by rural men and women of Chongwe and Chibombo districts in central Zambia. Data was collected through 85 semi structured interviews with men and women resident in the two study areas, and several key informants. Results show that 75% and 58% of the men and women interviewed had obtained customary land from their village head persons and 31% and 42% respectively had engaged in land conversion processes. Land conversions have resulted in increased employment opportunities for men; and increased tenure security for unmarried and widowed women. Ambivalence towards the loss of power by chiefs over subjects with titled land, and paying property taxes to the state was evident in both men and women residents in the midst of more secure land tenure rights for their families. Retaining traditional leaders’ authority in the land conversion processes perpetuates discriminatory practices against women and privileges village head persons and men while continuing to disadvantage women. Land conversions are engendering changes in matrilineal inheritance patterns that are more favourable to landowners’ children
Phytochemical Screening and Acute Exposure of Methanolic Bark Extract of Pterocarpus Tinctorius in Wistar Rats
Get PDFThe bark extract of Pterocarpus tinctorius (Fabaceae) is traditionally used to treat diseases such as diabetes, gonorrhoea, hypertension, stomachache and bacterial gastroenteritis. However, little is known about toxicity and phytochemicals found in the bark of Pterocarpus tinctorius. Therefore, this study aimed at phytochemical screening and investigating acute oral toxicity of the stem bark of Pterocarpus tinctorius in Wistar rats.
Wistar rats (N=3 per group) were randomly assigned to four groups: negative control, 50, 300, and 2000 mg/kg methanolic sub-extract. A single dose was administered and female Wistar rats were observed for 14 days according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines for acute toxicity testing in rats. After dosing, rats were individually observed for their physical and behavioural changes throughout the study. The body weight of Wistar rats were monitored weekly and gross pathological changes of rat organs were observed. In addition, the biochemical markers and organ-body weight ratios of the kidneys and the liver were measured. Qualitative phytochemical tests were carried out to determine the types of phytochemicals present in the bark of Pterocarpus tinctorius.
There were no signs of toxicity observed in all treatment groups and no abnormalities were observed on organs of rats. There was no significant difference in body weight, organ-body weight and biochemical markers with p>0.05, for the Wistar rats in all treatment groups compared to the negative control. Phytochemical tests showed the presence of alkaloids, phenolics, flavonoids, tannins, steroids, terpenoids, anthocyanins and saponins in the stem bark of Pterocarpus tinctoriusas compounds that could be responsible to treat diseases in traditional medicine.
This study demonstrated that Pterocarpus tinctorius methanolic bark sub-extract is not acutely toxic to the liver and kidneys up to the dose of 2000 mg/kg body weight. It is highly recommended that toxicity studies on other organs of rats such as the heart, brain, pancreas and intestines are carried out
Modeling the Non-Monetary Societal Burden of Tick-Borne Diseases for Cattle: A Case Study of East Coast Fever in the Traditional Cattle-Keeping Households of Namwala District of Zambia.
Get PDFThe study aimed at estimating the disease burden of East Coast Fever (ECF) among rural cattle-keeping households of Namwala District of Zambia using Productivity Adjusted Life Years (PALYs). We modified Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY) equations for humans to PALYs to estimate the societal burden of tick-borne animal diseases. We used a structured questionnaire to collect data on parameters that feed into PALY equations and then coded and entered data from the questionnaires directly into the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Version 20). Further, we entered the estimated values of PALY parameters into mathematical calculus software called integral calculator (https://www.integral-calculator.com/). We then used the integral calculator to calculate PALY equations, which we used to estimate the societal disease burden of ECF in cattle. Productivity Adjusted Life Years calculations were done in three categories; PALYs without discounting and age weighting, PALYs with only discounting, and PALYs with discounting and age weighting.Results revealed that the years of the productivity lost by a cow, bull, and ox that suffered from ECF were estimated at 15, 10, and 15 years, respectively. In the second category, the years of productivity lost by a cow, bull, and ox were seven, six, and seven years, respectively. In the final category, the years of productivity lost by a cow, bull, and ox were five years. East Coast Fever caused a total of 517,165 PALYs in Namwala District. The quality of life reduced in years due to disability (YLD) caused by ECF per cow, bull, and ox was 0.07, 0.07, and 0.02 per cent of their life expectancy, respectively. The estimated values for the years of a lifetime lost due to mortality (YLL) caused by ECF were 35%, 49%, and 35% of the life expectancy per cow, bull, and ox. These results are essential for measuring outcomes of animal health problems in terms of PALYs. The findings are helpful in the future projections for the future burden of any disease and can be used as a basis in policy and decision-making, particularly priorities in animal health research. We recommend that a classification of animal diseases of national economic importance should consider both the societal burden (non-monetary) and economic impact instead of the common practice of only considering the economic (monetary) impact
Child Marriages: Analysing the Narrative Conversations with Survivors
Get PDFThis paper examined the narratives of survivors of child marriages. Their perceptions were important in understanding the mindset that drive the contraction of child marriages. The study was carried out in Lusaka and Central provinces of Zambia and used a narrative design. Qualitative data were collected using the semi-structured interview guides. The girls were introduced to the researchers via snowballing. These girls were married off whilst in school. At the start of this study, only one of the girls was still in matrimony. Within the context of attribution theory, the study findings showed that participants indicated that the law on child marriage was problematic for the following reasons: The belief that law has no space in family issues, marriage was salvation from destitution and that there was no space for criminal law in matrimony. In addition, pregnancy was believed to be a precursor to marriage. The study recommended the re-orientation of people on the law and economic support for the children that fall pregnant with a view of taking them back to school and discourage them from early marriages. The findings of the study have implications for how the law against child marriage was being implemented in Zambia. The success of the law lies in the re-orientation of the people on the necessity of the law. There should be an emphasis on removing laws that are repugnant to justice such as the customary law that allows parents and guardians to marry off underage children