South African Family Practice最新文献

Background:  Family members (FMs) are a valuable source of support, as the bulk of daily diabetes treatment occurs at home. Family members' insufficient understanding of patient support can lead to poor diabetes outcomes. Lack of knowledge about good diet and exercise can lead to unhealthy food preparation and sedentary lifestyles, affecting patients and increasing the risk of diabetes. This study aims to fill the gap in the level of knowledge of FMs relating to appropriate care for diabetic patients under their care. This will relate specifically to diet and exercise.

Methods:  A cross-sectional survey conducted in Senwabarwana, Limpopo province, involved 200 FMs caring for diabetic patients for at least 6 months. Their experience could offer valuable insights into the competence of their care. Data were collected regarding knowledge and practice using a close-ended questionnaire, with Likert scale responses and SPSS analysis, including descriptive statistics and chi-squared tests. Knowledge was assessed on a scale ranging from poor to excellent: poor (0% - 50%), fair (51% - 60%), good (61% - 74%) and excellent ( 75%). Practice was assessed as poor (0% - 50%), fair (51% - 69%) and good (70% - 100%).

Results:  Thirty-one percent of participants demonstrated excellent knowledge and only 9% demonstrated good practice. Unfortunately, 53% stated that obese patients with diabetes should skip meals to lose weight. Only 3.5% and 19%, respectively, are familiar with recommendations for exercise and glucose monitoring. Barely 35.5% of FMs eat breakfast every day, while 87.5% report exercising.

Conclusion:  Few FMs possess excellent diabetes management knowledge but still indulge in bad practices, increasing their risk of developing diabetes. Additionally, they may potentially cause health problems for patients.Contribution: Family-centred behaviour change intervention is recommended.

Background:  Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common non-communicable disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality globally. It poses a huge public health and economic challenge. People with diabetes need to have adequate knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) to prevent complications from diabetes. This study aims to evaluate the KAP towards diabetes among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients attending primary healthcare clinics in Kimberley.

Methods:  A cross-sectional analytical, quantitative questionnaire-based study was done using a convenient sampling method in Sol Plaatje Municipality, Kimberley, Northern Cape.

Results:  A total of 363 type 2 diabetic patients took part in the study. Most of the participants (62.0%) were females. Most had good knowledge (67.5%), while 64.5% of the participants showed good attitudes towards diabetes. However, only 35.8% of the participants had good practices towards diabetes. There was a significant association between the participant's level of education and (1) knowledge and (2) practice, with p-values of 0.002 and 0.0075, respectively. No significant association was found between the participant's level of education and attitudes towards diabetes (p = 0.2416).

Conclusion:  This study demonstrated good diabetes-related knowledge and attitudes but inadequate practices among participants. Educational programmes to assist patients with diabetes to improve their practice towards diabetes should be encouraged and implemented.Contribution: This study will help to create awareness of the need for people with diabetes to improve their practices towards diabetes.

Background:  Terminating a pregnancy can be a traumatic life event, resulting in negative emotions that can diminish women's self-worth. Support from different sources, including health support groups, could be beneficial in restoring a woman's self-worth. This article aimed to present findings on the impact of a support group intervention on the self-worth of women who terminated a pregnancy in adolescence.

Methods:  A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach, using in-depth, semi-structured interviews, was used to collect data. Thematic analysis guided the data analysis.

Results:  Five themes emerged from the data: reasons for joining the support group; enhanced emotional and physical wellbeing; self-forgiveness; spiritual growth and participants' voices.

Conclusion:  Participants described why they needed to join the support group. It became clear that the intercession was effective in the short term as it enhanced participants' self-worth by encouraging them to accept themselves thereby altering their self-condemning emotions, replacing them with self-love.Contribution: The study recommends that a support group should be considered as a backup for women who terminated a pregnancy and have lost their self-worth.