African Journal for Physical Activity and Health Sciences

The effects of front infant wearing on posture, muscle activity and proprioception of rural South African caregivers

B.K. Grobler — 2024-09-30

Infant wearing is common practice during a child’s early stages of growth. The impact of front infant wearing on the posture of caregivers is inconclusive, requiring further investigation. The aim of the study was to determine the changes in height, postural angles, electromyographical (EMG) cervical and lumbar flexor, and extensor activities and proprioception of rural South African caregivers associated with habitual front infant wearing. One hundred female caregivers residing in the ILembe District of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa willingly participated in a pretest/post-test crossover randomised investigation. The experimental group (n=50) stood in a front infant wearing loaded state, while the control group (n=50) was measured in an unloaded state (while not carrying the infant). The experimental group crossed over into the control group, and vice versa. Caregivers’ stature, hip heights, craniovertebral angle (CVA), craniohorizontal angle (CHA), standing pelvic angle (SPA), tibiofemoral joint angle (TFA), and cervical and lumbar flexor-extensor EMG activities were measured. Front infant wearing diminished stature (157.2±6.0 vs 155.7±6.4cm) and hip heights (97.3±5.2 vs 95.2±5.4cm) of caregivers when compared to their unloaded state (p=0.0000001). Craniovertebral angles (45.52±7.35 vs 55.94±9.16°), SPA (20.15±4.46 vs 23.79±5.42°) and TFJA (-9.44±4.6 vs -12.68±5.32°) were increased during front infant wearing (p<0.01). Conversely CHA (18.62±6.78 vs 15.20±6.63°) and cobb angles (24.15±4.24 vs 22.75±4.46°) decreased during front infant wearing (p<0.01). The EMG activity of the cervical extensors (26.58±19.91 vs 41.29±23.89 mV) and lumbar flexors (23.96±18.13 vs 34.82±21.21mV) changed during front infant wearing as compared to the unloaded state (p<0.05). Front infant wearing decreased the caregivers’ medial-lateral stability index (MLI) (3.75±3.07 vs 4.55±3.82) (p<0.01) and changed their posture by reducing their standing vertex and hips heights, increasing the CVA, SPA, and TFA, and diminishing their MLI.

Effectiveness of the Lebed method therapeutic intervention on physical fitness among elderly individuals in Kakamega county, Kenya

Micky Olutende Oloo — 2024-09-30

The physical fitness of elderly individuals deteriorates as they grow older, and falls and fall-related injuries are common manifestations of this degradation. Despite physical activity being known to reduce fall risks, there are challenges like high drop-out rates and limited exercise types in existing studies. The Lebed Method, a dance programme initially developed for breast cancer survivors by Sherry Lebed Davis, could potentially improve physical and emotional well-being. This study aimed to explore its effectiveness in improving physical fitness (PF) among the elderly in Kakamega County, Kenya. The study involved a community-based randomised control trial with 30 participants aged 60 and older, selected based on low social support scores. They were divided into intervention and control groups, after meeting specific inclusion criteria. Baseline PF measures included activity levels, handgrip and leg press strength, and the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). An intention-to-treat analysis approach was used, and participants were evaluated based on their assigned groups irrespective of the intervention received. To ensure the study's reliability, biases like selection, performance, detection, attrition, and reporting biases were addressed. Between group changes in PF were assessed using the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), in which the baseline scores were used as covariates. The intervention group improved significantly compared to the control group in PF as they had superior IPAQ (International physical activity questionnaire) scores (p < .001, ηp2 = 0.50, d=1.97), handgrip strength (p < .001, ηp2 = 0.64, d=2.95), leg press strength (p < .001, ηp2 = 0.51, d=1.76) and functional capacity as measured by the 6MWT performance (p < .001, ηp2 = 0.59, d=1.85). The Lebed Method significantly improved PF in participants highlighting the intervention's effectiveness in boosting fitness and strength in the elderly. The long-term sustainability of the functional improvements observed postintervention requires further investigation.

Physical activity among undergraduate students at a South African university: A social and environmental perspective

Chante Johannes — 2024-09-30

Understanding the external factors that influence physical activity in the social and environmental context is valuable to inform the development of evidence-based interventions to increase university students’ physical activity (PA). However, the influence of these external factors and PA among African undergraduate university students is understudied. This qualitative study aimed to explore the influence of external factors (social support and physical environment) on PA participation among a convenience sample of undergraduate students (n = 18) from a historically disadvantaged institution (HDI) in Cape Town, South Africa. Semi-structured interviews and a reflexive thematic analysis approach were used to generate common themes which were analysed using Atlas Ti.V8. Findings revealed four major themes in both the social support and physical environment categories, respectively. For social support, peers and friends were perceived as sources of motivation, encouragement and accountability, while family members provided encouragement, constructive criticism and financial support. Health experts were influential for their guidance and health-related knowledge. Peer pressure was identified as a negative influence on PA participation. The physical environment played an important role in PA participation. Preference for PA engagement on and off campus emerged as a category that was influenced by the importance students placed on the accessibility, affordability and safety of these environments. The findings implicate the need for student-tailored PA interventions designed to promote safe and accessible spaces for PA engagement, thus addressing social and environmental factors that influence their decisions to adopt physically active lifestyles.

Predicting South African consumers' physical-virtual esports participation intentions: Extending the theory of planned behaviour

C. Muller — 2024-09-30

As consumers move further into a digital metaverse, the increasing uptake of virtual sports across generations is unsurprising. In 2023, the conventional esports market generated approximately $1.87 billion in global revenue and gained recognition at an Olympic level. Among the first, this study aimed to increase awareness of an emerging esports format, namely physical-virtual esports (PVeSp). As per the suggested definition, this esports format requires the users’ bodily movement to play a virtual game, including virtual cycling, running, dancing, golf, virtual reality (VR), fitness and taekwondo. As esports become more popular on the international level, it is limited to developed nations. More crucial limitations relate to the dearth of research investigating this novel topic, specifically consumers’ participation background, perceptions and behaviour. This study provides a departure point and extends the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to include awareness and perceived cost to explain South African consumers’ PVeSp participation intentions. Following a descriptive online survey and cross-sectional approach, data were collected from a nonprobability purposive sample of 474 South African adult consumers aged 18 to 56 years. A participation prediction model, using SPSS and AMOS Graphics V29, was developed after executing several statistical analyses, comprising principal components (PC) and descriptive statistics analyses, a one-sample t-test, bivariate correlation analyses and collinearity diagnostics, followed by structural equation modelling (SEM). The model’s reliability and validity and the outcomes of hypotheses testing were confirmed during these analyses. The main finding was that the TPB was successfully extended with awareness and the perceived cost, and served as a valuable tool to predict South African consumers’ PVeSp participation intentions. Furthermore, the results suggest that South African consumers’ attitude (β = .68, p = .000, p < .001) and perceived behavioural control (β = .65, p = .002, p < .01) had a statistically significant positive influence, whereas perceived cost (β = –.09, p = .004, p < .01) negatively influenced their PVeSp participation intentions. The South African consumers surveyed were not yet quite familiar (β = –.64, p = .298, p > .01) with PVeSp and also did not consider it a social norm (β = .08, p = .108, p > .01). The findings hold profound theoretical, practical, managerial as well as policy implications and recommendations for scholars and industry stakeholders.

A health-focused NGO’s challenges in preventing cardiovascular diseases amongst South African millennials

S. Morapeli — 2024-09-30

Health-focused Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) play an important role in educating people about health. However, there is a paucity of research on the challenges experienced by health-focused NGOs in South Africa. The lack of research limits their opportunity to promote good health, particularly cardiovascular health amongst millennials who have become increasingly vulnerable to heart diseases. The aim of this study was to explore the challenges of the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA) in preventing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) amongst South African millennials. A qualitative research approach was applied involving semi-structured interviews conducted with six HSFSA staff who were purposively sampled. The data were transcribed verbatim and analysed through thematic analysis yielding two dominant themes: HSFSA experiences challenges about limited budget, and appropriately engaging millennials in preventing CVDs. The study concludes that these issues deepen poor health literacy about CVDs amongst South African millennials, thus increasing their susceptibility to lifestyle-related diseases.

Cytogenetic profile of patients diagnosed with acute leukaemia in a resource-limited academic hospital, Ga-Rankuwa, South Africa

L. Mafisa — 2024-09-30

Detection of genetic abnormalities in acute leukaemia (AL) by cytogenetic analysis is crucial to confirm the diagnosis and prognostication of AL allowing personalised therapy and treatment response monitoring in a resource-limited setting. AL is classified into acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), and acute leukaemia of ambiguous lineage (ALAL). There is hardly any published data on the cytogenetic profile of AL at Dr George Mukhari Academic Laboratory, Ga-Rankuwa, South Africa and there is limited information on the success rate of cytogenetic testing in the country. This study aimed to describe the cytogenetic profile in patients with AL and to examine the success rate of cytogenetic testing at Dr George Mukhari hospital’s laboratory. A cross-sectional review of diagnosed cases of AL including children and adults was performed from July 2015 to June 2020. These results were extracted from the laboratory information system after obtaining ethical clearance. A total of 153 patients with AL satisfied the inclusion criteria. The patients’ age categories were 0-12, 13-19, 20-35, 36-50, and those above 50 years, with a mean age of 29.8 ± 19.4 years. Statistical analyses included frequencies and percentages undertaken to interpret categorical data according to their genetic abnormalities. The Chi-square test was subsequently applied to analyse the frequency of the patients’ genetic abnormalities according to age, sex with AML, and B-lymphoblastic leukaemia/lymphoma (B-ALL). The three main types of AL were AML, ALL, and ALAL. Interestingly, females comprised most cases of AL. Expectedly, AML was more common in adults, and ALL was predominantly detected in children. The most prevalent genetic abnormality in AML was the PML::RARA fusion gene with a high prevalence in adults, followed by RUNX1::RUNXT1 and CBFB::MYH11 fusion gene. Other genetic abnormalities included BCR::ABL1 and KMT2A rearrangement, detected mostly in adults. The most prevalent genetic abnormality in B-ALL was the BCR::ABL1 fusion gene, detected mostly in adolescents and adults. This was followed by KMT2A rearrangement which was equally seen in both children and adults. Other genetic abnormalities in B-ALL included the ETV6::RUNX1 and TCF3::PBX1 fusion genes, as well as hyperdiploidy seen mostly in children, adolescents, and adults, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between age, sex, and genetic abnormalities in both AML and B-ALL (p>0.05). A high prevalence of the BCR::ABL1 fusion gene was unexpected in AML and B-ALL and these results allowed for targeted therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors in these patients. Therefore, cytogenetic testing remains crucial to diagnose and inform treatment choices for AL in resourcelimited settings. Of concern was the high prevalence of unsuccessful cytogenetic results which requires further investigation to promote the success rate of cytogenetic analysis.

“Babies are still weeping.” Mothers’ perspectives regarding infants’ pain during vaccination in a low resource setting

Emma Annan — 2024-09-30

Vaccination has been successful in reducing the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases and deaths. However, pain experienced by infants during the vaccination process is a source of distress for both the baby and her mother. If left untreated, this pain can result in negative consequences such as impaired brain development, a fear of needles, avoidance of healthcare facilities, and a reluctance to vaccinate in the future. Despite the World Health Organization's recommendations on managing infant pain during vaccination, mothers in Ghana are unaware of these guidelines and do not follow them, indicating a gap between evidence and good clinical practice. There are limited published studies on infant pain management practices, especially in low-resource environments where procedural pain is often not addressed. Therefore, this study explored mothers' perspectives on pain and its management during infant vaccination. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 mothers who brought their infants to three different children welfare clinics in Accra for vaccination over a period of three months. The data were analysed using Tesch's content analysis procedure. Three themes emerged: Mothers’ awareness of infants’ pain, infants’ expression of pain, and the current pain assessment and management practices by mothers. The mothers indicated infants’ express pain through their behaviours and emotions. Even though the mothers were aware of the pain, they did not use evidence-based WHO interventions such as breastfeeding to manage infant pain during vaccination because they were unaware of these strategies and discouraged from using breastfeeding during vaccination. Mothers need to be educated on the use of the WHO recommendations for pain management in infants during vaccination and on how to advocate for good clinical practice from health care professionals.

The relationship between height and arm span, mid-upper arm and waist circumferences and the sum of four skinfolds in healthy Polokwane private school children, South Africa

Matome M. Sekhotha — 2024-09-30

Human stature is an important issue in the measurement of body growth due to bone development, and dietary conditions. This study researched the associations between height, arm span (AS), the sum of the four skinfolds (S4SK), mid-upper arm, and waist girth (WG) among students at three private schools in Polokwane city, South Africa. A total of 1665 school children (ages 5 to 15 years; 846 boys and 819 girls), were included in this study. The children’s anthropometric measurements were taken according to the guidelines of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry's (ISAK). Pearson correlation coefficients and linear regression models were employed to evaluate the associations between the anthropometric variables. Boys younger than 6 years had a substantially (p<0.001) higher correlation coefficient for arm span (r=0.89) than girls (r=0.88). However, girls had a significantly (p<0.001) higher arm girth (0.50) than boys (0.43) at ages 7−10 years. The coefficients of determination for AS were similar at 0.72 (95% CI 0.67−0.77), and 0.75 (95%CI 0.71−0.80) for schoolboys and girls aged 11−15 years, respectively. Height and AS were shown to be substantially correlated in the Polokwane private school children. Despite the modest association between WG and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), WG was not a good predictor of height in both genders.

The status of Physical Education in BRICS nations

V. Oelofse — 2024-09-30

This study investigates the state and status of Physical Education in the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), recognising its pivotal role in developing psychomotor, social, emotional, and cognitive skills, as well as combatting lifestyle-related diseases like obesity. Despite its potential, Physical Education often has to deal with neglect and marginalisation in school curricula. This research addresses the dearth or lack of comparative literature on Physical Education across BRICS nations, with the aim of shedding light on the subject's implementation and its impact on learners' health. Grounded on Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, the study explores how various ecological systems influence learner-engagement in Physical Education. It also provides a detailed overview of the education systems in Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, emphasising key features relevant to Physical Education. These include governance structures in these countries ranging from centralisation to mixed models, with diverse implications for curriculum implementation. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the dynamics shaping Physical Education in the BRICS nations, offering recommendations for enhancing its efficacy in promoting learners' health and well-being. In addition to bridging the knowledge gap in comparative studies, this study’s findings inform policy and practice for the betterment of Physical Education across diverse educational and cultural contexts.