The University of Zambia Journals
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Personal, Socio-Cultural and Environmental Factors Associated with Smoking Among Female Students at University of Lusaka, Zambia
Get PDFTobacco use is one of the most preventable causes of premature death globally, yet statistics show that there has been an increase of female smokers. Hence a need to understand why smoking prevalence continues despite the overwhelming data on adverse health effects. The aim of this study was to explore personal, socio-cultural, and environmental factors that are associated with smoking among female university students of University of Lusaka. A qualitative case study design was conducted with a sample 12 female students from the University of Lusaka. Snowball sampling was utilized. Female students smoking tobacco were predominantly associated with the desire for personal gratification, to feel accepted by their peers who smoke, to express female independence and freedom and exposure to a male family member who smokes at younger age. Socio- cultural factors such as such as peer influence, family influence and female modernity in society were the major influencers of smoking in the female students, and environmental factors such as the lack of responsiveness to Zambia’s anti-smoking campaigns and a gap in the enforcement of anti-smoking legislation in Zambia also played an indirect role in facilitating smoking among female student. Anti-smoking campaigns could try and consider evaluating interventions from a male and female perspective respectively
HIV PrEP, Associated Risk Behaviour and Practices Among University Students; A Case of Nkrumah University
Get PDFBackground: The use of Pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV infections has become widespread, so are concerns that PrEP leads to risky behaviour that can results into infections. While it is standard protocol for the healthcare personnel to conduct routine HIV screenings, no standardized procedure for educating people exists. PrEP gives an opportunity for adolescents and young adults to access a prevention option that respects their particularities and vulnerabilities. The objective of the study was to assess the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of students towards PrEP and if it is associated health risk behavior
Methods: A cross sectional quantitative research design was used to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices of students towards PrEP and its’ associated risk behaviour using a self-administered questionnaire. The data was analyzed using a computer Soft-Ware-Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The sample size was 367 students of Nkrumah University student in Central Province
Results: There is an existing gap in comprehensively knowing and understanding PrEP and guidelines. About 36.8% of the respondents indicates they had poor knowledge on PrEP further, the results indicate 61% of the respondents had general negative attitude towards PrEP.
Conclusion: More effort by government and stakeholders is needed to educate and inform students on PrEP. There is need to establish ways of dispelling myths and improve the perception towards PrEP thus reducing stigmatizatio
'Religious Education in Zambia is Outdated and Must be Renewed': Some Reflections
No full textThis article reflects on Religious Education in Zambia. Drawing on the historical developments and current status of the subject, the article shows that Religious Education has lost its importance in Zambia as it has remained the same since the 1977 Education Reforms. The article advances the need to set up a Zambian Commission on Religious Education to conduct a large-scale research into the quality of Religious Education and prepare a new national plan for the subject. It also calls on tertiary institutions to accept Michael Grimmitt’s critique of Religious Studies and start teaching Religious Education instead. Additionally, it recommends that the old aim of Religious Education in Zambia must be changed and that the subject should challenge the youth to value their lives and become their best
Social Security Legislation in Zambia and The ILO Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102)
Get PDFFrom time immemorial, societies have recognised the need for social security to protect individuals from uncertainties that would occur in one’s life due to among other things, death of a bread winner, retirement and old age. The occurrences of any of these eventualities pose a threat to people’s economic stability and the wellbeing of the family. Therefore, social security contributes to a country’s overall growth by encouraging savings and sustaining the living standards of those covered. The concept of social security has no established definition. However, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which has done considerable work in this field has offered a working definition of the concept of social security
Vancomycin Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus Species Isolated at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia: Should We Be Worried?
Get PDFStaphylococcus aureusand Enterococcus species cause invasive infections such as bacteremia and infective endocarditis. Despite vancomycin being the drug of choice for drug-resistant infections caused by these species, few studies have been conducted to ascertain vancomycin resistance in the African setting. This is crucial given the rising resistance in these organisms. This study aimed at isolating S. aureus and Enterococcusspecies and determine their susceptibility to vancomycin and other antibiotics at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia.
This was a cross-sectional study in which S. aureus and Enterococcus spp isolates from the skin, soft tissue and bloodstream infections were included. Standard microbiological and Kirby-Baur (disc diffusion and E-strips) methods were used to identify and determine the susceptibility of the organisms, respectively.
From fifty-nine S. aureusisolates, thirty-seven were from the skin and soft tissue and twenty-two from blood culture. Twenty-six (44.1%) of these were Methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Thirty-nine Enterococcus were isolated from blood cultures only. Of the S. aureus [16] and Enterococcus [14] isolates tested with vancomycin E-strips, none were vancomycin-resistant. However, 12.5 per cent S. aureus and 14.3 per cent Enterococcus showed intermediate vancomycin susceptibility. S. aureus were resistant to penicillin (93.2%), erythromycin (52.5%) and tetracycline (50.8%). Enterococcus showed resistance to penicillin (83%) and tetracycline (84.6%).
There was no vancomycin resistance among S. aureus and Enterococcus,implying vancomycin is still a viable treatment option for invasive infections. Given the intermediate vancomycin susceptibility, treatment guided by minimum inhibitory concentration results, continued surveillance and prudent use are key
Conservation Agriculture and Soil Fertility Improvements: Indications from Smallholder Farmers in Chafukuma, Solwezi , Zambia
Get PDFThis study assessed the effects of conservation agriculture (CA) practices on soil fertility of smallholder farmers’ agricultural fields in Chafukuma, North Western Zambia. A total of 34 paired soil samples from adjacent agricultural fields in which CA and conventional agriculture (CV) had been practiced for at least five years were analysed for significant differences in plant available phosphorus (P), exchangeable potassium (K), total nitrogen (N), soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil reaction (pH). Smallholder farmers’ CA practices and their perceptions of CA’s effects on soil fertility were investigated through 34 semi structured interviews. Secondary data on CA was collected through desk analysis of CA publications. The study found evidence of CA associated improvements in soil fertility (Tcalc= 4.520, p < 0.0001). This improvement was attributed to the consistent use of good agronomic practices in CA fields whereas these practices were mostly absent from CV fields. The study concludes that CA improved soil fertility in agricultural fields of smallholder farmers in Chafukuma, and could be promoted in CA systems in other high rainfall areas of Zambia provided all the important agronomic practices are utilized consistently. Most of the CA associated agronomic practices could also be extended to CV fields successfully
Federalism: A Comparative Analysis of Nigeria and Switzerland
Get PDFThis paper examines federalism, with a comparative analysis of Nigeria and Switzerland. Federalism was put into practice first in United States in 1789. Federalism is a system of government in which powers are constitutionally shared between the central government and the constituent units. A Federal system is a form of government which has been a contemporary issue and it is a popular concept in various countries constitution in the world. Nigeria in Africa and Switzerland in central Europe have a federal model in practice and this paper analysed the distinctive federal structure and similarities of Nigeria and Switzerland. Both countries have several characteristics such as supremacy of the constitution; equal representation of all interest groups, and principle of separation of powers. The paper adopted the qualitative mode of inquiry. The study adopted the structural-functionalism as its theoretical framework. The paper concluded that Nigeria and Switzerland operated a formal division of powers between three levels of government for easy administration. Both countries’ federal system has not yet practiced a true federal structure and also they have autonomy problem between the levels of governments. The study recommended that Nigeria and Switzerland should adopt a full fiscal system in order to provide even development. Additionally, both Countries’ federal system should be given full autonomy among all layers of government
Developing a Localised Approach to School Safety and Health Management: The Case of Mongu Schools of Western Zambia
Get PDFThis study proposes a localised approach to school safety and health management. The study proposes that individual schools be allowed to localise school safety and health management according to their local needs. To this effect, the study used comparative study research design which involved three (3) schools sampled from Mongu district of western Zambia. Using a qualitative approach, data was collected using interview schedules, focus group discussion and structured observation. Safety and health concerns for the three schools were identified and comparisons were done. Data collected was transcribed and analysed thematically as an on-going process as themes and sub themes emerged. The findings showed that the schools explored had a variety of safety and health concerns unique to those school environments. The study also deduced that safety and health concerns inherent at each of the schools needed local solutions if they were to be fully managed because some of them were influenced by socio-cultural aspects of the school environment. The study concluded that a localised approach to school safety and health was more responsive to the needs of an individual schools as opposed to a generic approach planned and prepared at national, provincial or district level. This is partly because a localised school safety approach deals with specific safety and health issues peculiar to a given particular school. To this effect, the study recommends that individual schools should be allowed to devise their own safety and health management to effectively respond to local needs
Historical Development of Private Secondary Schools in Kwara State, Nigeria From 1999 To 2019
Get PDFDespite the expansion of public secondary schools in Kwara State from 1999 to 2019, the establishment of private secondary schools continued to increase in the state because of inadequate educational facilities in most public secondary schools, poor teachers’ remuneration and working conditions which led to poor teachers’ job performance in public schools. Thus, this study examined the historical development of private secondary schools in Kwara State from 1999 to 2019. The population of this study comprised all private secondary schools in Kwara State. The target population was 188 private secondary schools registered under the Kwara State Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development. The Historical research method was used in this study. Purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample of 767 respondents comprising Proprietors, Principals, experienced teachers, Parent-Teacher Association, Officials of the Ministry of education and its agencies. The instruments used for data collection were questionnaire, proforma and structured interview. Validity of the instruments and authenticity of historical sources were determined by two lecturers in the Department of Arts Education, two experts in the field of Test and Measurement, Faculty of Education, University of Ilorin, Nigeria based on historical methods of internal and external criticisms. Thematic analysis was used to answer the research questions 1 and 4 while the percentage was used to answer the research questions 2 and 3 respectively. The findings revealed that the number of private secondary schools in Kwara State gradually increased between 1999/2000 and 2018/2019 academic sessions except in 2002/2003 where it remained the same as it was in 2001/2002, and sharply increased in 2009/2010 academic session because some parents had lost confidence in enrolling their children in public secondary schools due to the inadequate of educational facilities in public schools. This made them patronise private schools and thereby increased the number of private secondary schools in the state. Based on the findings, it was concluded that from 1999 to 2019 the number of private secondary schools had significantly increased. Also, it was recommended that all levels of government should give grants to private secondary schools to enable them provide adequate educational facilities, employ qualified teachers, and adequately and timely pay their salaries
Reading Culture in Zambia: Perspectives of Selected Households of Zambia on their Reading Practices
Get PDFThe absence of reading habits has historically dominated much of Zambian households regardless of the presence or absence of reading materials. These reading practices were the focus of the present study that sought to address three research questions: (i) to determine the historical culture of reading in respondents’ households, (ii) to establish the views of selected Zambian residents on factors contributing to low reading culture in Zambia, and (iii) to ascertain the workable solutions to improve the reading culture among some Zambians. Data was collected using face-to-face and telephone interviews and open-ended questionnaire. The qualitative mode of inquiry was used to guide this study. Findings of the study revealed an increase in reading culture among some urban families with access to smart phones, tablets, and laptops. However, families that lacked such gadgets did not practice reading in their homes with exception of a few. Those that practiced reading had a bias to social media posts and shorter ones were preferred. Students liked reading but not for fun or pleasure, but it was a requirement for them to pass certain courses. In all homes, the history of consistent reading practices was absent to a considerable extent. Among the reasons cited for poor reading culture included historical background, Inadequate resources/poverty, and disinterestedness of readers. The provision of free internet in public places, the creation of public libraries in districts, creation of a reading hour in schools, and encouraging families to develop interest in reading to their children were among the recommendations