The University of Zambia Journals
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Physical Education and Sport for Social Development: Implications and Prospects in the COVID-19 Era
Get PDFWith high COVID 19 restrictions enforced in schools, especially in urban areas of Zambia, it would be instructive and informative to know how play, physical education and sport are being handled in schools across the country without taking away from what these activities foster both intentionally and inadvertently. The pandemic has without doubt, significantly reduced the critical moments of group physical activity and consequently hindered learning opportunities for children and young adults both in-and-out of school settings
Commentary on the Antidiabetic Activity of Kigelia Africana
Get PDFScientists continue to investigate the use of Kigelia Africana plant parts for the management of diabetes. However, there is still little published information discussing active antidiabetic principles, especially in the fruit. Further, there is limited information discussing the mechanism by which the plant extract provides its antidiabetic activity. While studies have showed that the plant stem bark’s extract has a large therapeutic index, there is no published information discussing the mutagenic properties of the plant
Reasons Women Request for Termination of Pregnancy at a Rural Hospital in Zambia; A Cross Sectional Study at Mansa General Hospital, Mansa District, Zambia
Get PDFBackground: Globally, it is estimated that unsafe abortions contribute to 8% of maternal deaths. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest regional estimate of abortion related mortality at 90 per 100, 000 live births. In Zambia the reasons for the termination of pregnancy is enshrined in the Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1972 which states that an abortion may legally take place if the continuation of the pregnancy involves a risk to the pregnant woman's life, physical or mental health; a risk to the physical or mental health of any existing children; or if there is a substantial risk that the child will be born with birth abnormalities. The Termination of Pregnancy Act further specifies that the pregnant woman's actual or reasonably foreseeable environment may be considered. In this study, we set out to assess the reasons women give when requesting for a termination of pregnancy at Mansa General Hospital of Luapula province of Zambia.
Methods: We carried out a descriptive cross-sectional study of 66 women’s medical records who requested termination of pregnancy in 2018 January and 2019 December. The records were retrieved from Mansa General Hospital in Luapula province, Zambia. The case notes and consent forms were used to determine the characteristics and the reasons women requested a termination of pregnancy.
Results: Out of the 66 retrieved records of women who requested a termination of pregnancy from the registry of the hospital, 58 had their request of a termination of pregnancy successfully done and 8 never went further to terminate their pregnancy while 1 of the 66 records had the information missing on whether their request was met or not for a termination of pregnancy. Mean age was 25 (SD 7.3) with a minimum of 13 and maximum of 44. Average gestation age was 7.5 weeks (SD 2.8). Fifty percent (50%) of women had one living child and 32.7% were married. Forty one percent (41%) were in their first pregnancy. Sixty eight percent (68.2%) of patients had secondary education whereas 27.3% had a tertiary education. Median parity was 2. The commonest reason for termination was the need to advance in education (27.5%). The second was poor economic home situation (20.3%). The third was medical reasons (13.0%).
Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, the authors suggest strategies to increase knowledge of abortion rights and services and to improve the quality and accessibility of abortion services in Zambia
Work experiences of adult educators during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Case of the Department of Adult Education and Extension Studies at the University of Zambia
Get PDFThis article is based on the experiences of adult educators in the Department of Adult Education and Extension Studies at the University of Zambia in performing their different roles during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article was motivated by the relevance of adult education in responding to emergencies of any nature. Adult education takes up a leadership role in guiding the process and providing necessary information and education to bring a situation under control. Additionally, sharing experiences is an important aspect of adult education for bridging the gap between theory and practice. In achieving this objective, a qualitative research design was employed to conduct interviews with academic staff in the Department at the University of Zambia main campus and Resident Lecturers in the provincial centres. The interview protocols were emailed to the participants following the COVID-19 public health guidelines. The findings show that experiences were personal and affected their teaching and research activities. The participants attempted to teach online though the majority were limited in technological skills and knowledge. The majority of the participants did not engage in any research activity, including desk research. The article concludes that the participants underutilised the potency of adult education in dealing with emergencies and crises
Effect of Incarceration on Children's Cognitive Development
No full textImprisonment of parents causes many hardships for children. Children of incarcerated mothers usually experience disruptions in their home environments and child care arrangements and usually also experience social stigmatization. Children who accompany their mothers into prison are exposed to conditions that in all probability affect their cognitive development. This study investigated the possible effects that growing up in prison has on the cognitive development of children incarcerated together with their mothers. 34 children ranging in age between 2 and 4 years participated in this study together with their mothers. 17 of the children (10 girls and 7 boys) were incarcerated with their mothers and the other 17 children (9 girls and 8 boys) were not incarcerated and lived with their mothers in their homes. The incarcerated children were matched in demographic characteristics with non incarcerated children. The SON-R 2.5-7, an individual intelligence test for general application which does not require the use of spoken or written language was administered to measure the cognitive ability of the children. Qualitative data was also collected through informal discussions with the mothers and the prison warders on their perceptions on the cognitive ability of the children. A one way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was computed to find out if there was a significant difference between the means of the two groups i. e the incarcerated and the non-incarcerated children. The results indicated a significant difference in performance between the two groups, with the incarcerated children performing worse than the non incarcerated children. Implications of the findings are discussed in relation to the cognitive development of 'incarcerated' and non 'incarcerated' children
Neonatal Apgar Score Outcomes in Spinal Versus General Anaesthesia at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH), Lusaka.
Get PDFBackground: The knowledge gap was from the fact that the type of anaesthetic drug administered during caesarean section can have effects on neonatal outcome like low Apgar score with most hospitals in developed countries now using more modern inhalational anaesthetic agents with fewer or no cardio-respiratory depressant effects e.g. Isoflurane or Sevoflurane. However at UTH, halothane is still being used for maintenance of general anaesthesia despite well documented cardio-respiratory depressant effects with very limited research done on its effects on neonatal Apgar score. The Apgar score is a means of rapid evaluation of the physical condition of infants shortly after birth. Thus this study investigated the effects of general anaesthesia with halothane versus spinal anaesthesia on neonatal Apgar score.
Objective and study design: With the view of determining the type of anaesthesia administered during caesarean section with the least effects on neonatal wellbeing shortly after birth, a prospective observational cohort study was conducted at the University Teaching Hospital between May 2015 and January 2016.The scientific objective was to determine the effects of general anaesthesia with halothane versus spinal anaesthesia on neonatal Apgar score. This study involved 70 neonates, 54 were born from mothers that had undergone caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia and 16 from mothers that had undergone general anaesthesia.
The data was analysed using SPSS version 16.0. Inferential analysis was conducted using logistic regression.
Results: 20 neonates out of 54 (37%) in the spinal anaesthetic group had an Apgar score less than 8 at 1 minute[Fig 1]. Out of the 16 neonates in the general anaesthesia group, 14 (87.5%) had Apgar score less than 8 at 1 minute[Fig 1]. One (1.9%) neonate had an Apgar score less than 8 at 5 minutes in the spinal anaesthesia group. While 4 (25%) neonates had Apgar score less than 8 in the GA group[Fig2]
The logistic regression at 1 minute Showed that it is over 11 times more likely to get a low Apgar with a general anaesthetic as compared to a spinal anaesthetic (OR 11.9), [Table 3].
The Apgar score at 1 minute in the Spinal anaesthesia group was statistically significantly higher than the general anaesthesia group (p=0.002). The logistic regression at 5 minutes Showed that it is over 17 times more likely to get a low Apgar with a general anaesthetic as compared to a spinal anaesthetic (OR 17.7), [Table 4]. Further, the 5 minutes Apgar score in the spinal anaesthesia group was statistically significantly higher than the general anaesthesia group (p=0.014),[Table 4].
Conclusion: With the results pointing to the fact that there is significant difference in neonatal Apgar score outcomes in spinal versus general anaesthesia, the researcher therefore rejected the null hypothesis. It is therefore inferred that spinal anaesthesia method has better neonatal outcomes by Apgar score measure than general anaesthesia method
Development of Impurities Removal Process For Low-Grade Sanje Iron Ore Using Mineral Processing Technologies
Get PDFIn this study, the impurities removal process for low-grade Sanje iron ore was developed using Wet High-intensity magnetic separation (WHIMS) and Reverse flotation (RF).Sanje Iron Ore is the low-grade hematite ores found in Nampundwe area of Zambia from which Iron is to be extracted and used as the feed in the steelmaking process. The ore contains 34.18 mass per cent Iron grade, 31.10 mass% of Silica (SiO2) and 7.65 mass per cent Alumina (Al2O3). Magnetic Separation experiments were done using Series L Model 4 laboratory magnetic Separator (L-4 Machine) as the first stage impurity removal process and the effect of various magnetic separation parameters such as magnetic flux density, particle size density and pulp density of the feed were studied. The results showed that 10 T was optimal magnetic flux density which enhanced the recovery of 93 per cent of iron with 53.22 mass per cent grade. The iron concentrate produced from magnetic separation contained 12.04 massper cent Silica and 3.94 massper cent Alumna and therefore, it was further treated using Reverse flotation. In reverse flotation, various parameters such as pH, collector dosage, Iron depressant dosage and quartz activator dosage were investigated. The results showed that 81.94 per cent was recovered at the concentrate’s pH of 6.8 using 200 g/T of 0.1 per cent calcium oxide (CaO) as silica activator and one kg/T of 0.1 per cent causticised starch as Iron depressant. Sodium Oleate (NaOL) and Dodceylamine Acetate (DAA) each with discrete dosage, were used as Anionic and Cationic collectors respectively. Alumina was consequently reduced to 1.04 mass per cent and Silica to 2.04 mass per cent at optimum respective collector’s dosage of 0.250 kg/T using 0.02 kg/T of Methyl Isobutyl Carbinol (MIBC) frother. Additionally, phosphorous was also observed to be reduced from 0.05 mass per cent to 0.01 mass per cent. The designed multi-stage process involving feeding the concentrate from WHIMS into RF process therefore produced a high-grade iron concentrate iron with 67.27 mass per cent grade, 2.04 mass per cent silica, 1.04 mass per cent alumina
Burden of Silicosis in the South African Mining Sector and its Effects on Migrant Labor from Neighboring Countries
Get PDFBackground: Among other minerals, South Africa has an abundance of asbestos and crystalline silica. Due to dust particles from these minerals, exposure causes respiratory diseases in particular silicosis. Most researches on silicosis have largely been of a cross sectional nature with no or limited long-term patterns reported.
Objective: This review aims to analyse silicosis patterns in the gold, diamond and platinum workers over a period of 30 years, and to investigate possible causative factors for mining sector employees leading to them developing respiratory diseases associated with silica.
Methods: This review article is a product of analysis of published reports and studies from South Africa published in the last decades. The EliScholar digital platform and Google scholar were used, and the focus publications were those that related to “silicosis”, “migrant workers”, silica dust” and autopsy. The review also allowed articles that were generalized, not merely focusing on one mineral. Autopsy reports obtained from the National Institute for Occupational Health database on miners were used for three sub-studies that are the subject of this review.
Conclusion: The silicosis trends in miners at autopsy show a clear system failure by the mining sector in controlling and managing occupational respiratory diseases
Results Based Financing in Zambia: Performance Evaluation and Exploration of Opportunities in Health System Adoption
Get PDFBackground – Results Based Financing has strategically fit into discussions of the Universal Health Coverage agenda at global level with the aim of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. It has been viewed that Results Based Financing is a potent financing model and can be used as a strategic tool for remodeling the health systems in many developing countries as suggested by prior studies which argued that Results Based Financing implementation requires: (i) a strong management support and political will; (ii) maximum innovative efficiencies and willingness for change; and (iii) strengthened health management information and reporting systems. Therefore, this study aimed at understanding how Results Based Financing approaches can be scaled-up by exploring the Successes, Challenges and Opportunities of adopting it into the health system from its project form.
Methods - A case study design was used for this research with a quantitative data collection approach. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22.
Results - The Results Based Financing programme improved all the indicators targeted in Lunte District Health facilities. The successes of the project included improved quality of health care services and strengthened health system. A notable challenge for Results Based Financing implementers was poor performance of non-incentivized indicators compared with the incentivized. However, an opportunity was seen with the project in that other financing models were discussed to either mimic or simply use Results Based Financing tools, pool funds in one basket and apply the concept. Results Based Financing improved efficiency and effectiveness based on results that health facilities learnt how to manage funds, shown by 67% of respondents, and commitment to re-investment 60% of their bonuses back into the system.
Conclusion - Results based financing can be regarded as a model for harmonizing other donor funds and drive forward the financial sustainability of being a successful financing strategy for the health secto
Study Protocol on HIV Positive Diagnosis During Pregnancy: Experiences and Coping Strategies Used by Women at Chilenje Level 1 Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia
Get PDFBackground: The HIV can be passed from an infected mother to her un-born child. Therefore, in an effort to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of the virus, pregnant women have to undergo HIV testing. A diagnosis of HIV during pregnancy is stressing to the woman because of its lack of cure, and it can add to the stress of pregnancy that she is already experiencing. We aim to determine the effects of an HIV positive diagnosis during pregnancy and the coping strategies used by women at Chilenje level 1 Hospital.
Methodology: We intend to use a concurrent mixed methods research design. The quantitative part will use longitudinal descriptive design, and the qualitative part will use interpretive phenomenological design. We intend to collect data from the same participants in three stages by using panel studies to yield better data for testing and understanding the effects of an HIV diagnosis during pregnancy and the coping strategies that women use. Sample size for the quantitative part (n=103) will be calculated using Cochran’s formula while the qualitative part will have a sample size of 20, as guided by theories from Thomson et al 2011. Women will be assessed for stress levels using the Perceived Stress scale adapted from Cohen, 1983, and the coping strategies will be classified using the Coping Strategy Indictor adapted from Armikhan, 1990. In-depth interviews will be conducted to determine the experiences of women diagnosed HIV positive during pregnancy. Data will be analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25.0, Chi-square will be used to test for associations between coping strategies and the independent variables (physiological health, psychosocial and spiritual support), and independent t-test will be used to test for association between stress levels and the independent variables. (Physiological health, psychosocial and spiritual support). Data will be merged at discussion
Conclusion: Findings from this study may be important in developing guidelines for caring for women diagnosed HIV positive during pregnancy in order that they and their babies can live healthy lives. This will be done by developing a tool that will be used to help them cope positively and reduce on stress and other problems that will come about due to the diagnosis of HIV