N.J. Ramakuela

Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding cervical cancer prevention at Thulamela Municipality of Vhembe District in Limpopo Province

Background Cervical cancer is a widespread and often fatal disease that affected 1 million women globally in 2005. Not only is it the second most common cancer in women but it was also the second leading cause of cancer deaths, accounting for over 250 000 in 2006. Purpose The purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding cervical cancer prevention among rural women in Vhembe District in Limpopo Province. Methodology A quantitative descriptive approach was adopted. The quantitative design enabled the discovery of more information by means of direct questioning of a sample of women aged 30 years and older. A convenience sampling was used to select the respondents. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Measures to ensure ethical issues were adhered to. Results The findings revealed that women lacked knowledge about cervical cancer and preventive methods, and displayed positive attitudes to the use of services if made available as health workers did not adequately inform them about the availability of the services. Conclusion The awareness of cervical cancer among women in Vhembe District is limited. There is a need to educate and promote awareness of cervical cancer among women to reduce the burden of morbidity and mortality.

Inclusive Policy and Service Needs Survey among Students with Disabilities in an Institution of Higher Education

Abstract Policy and service needs can be crucial in strengthening educational inclusion for students with disabilities in educational institutions. However, inclusive policies and acts have challenges in terms ofimplementation on the ground. This paper examines inclusive policy and service needs of students with disabilitiesat the University of Venda. The study employed a cross-sectional descriptive design using questionnaires tocollect data. Of the 132 questionnaires administered, 67 were returned. The participants’ ages ranged between 19and 44 years and 34 (50.7%) were males. Almost 2 in 5 (41.8%) were mobility impaired, whilst 10 (15.0%)participants indicated that there was a need for an all-inclusive policy in the institution, about a quarter (25.5%)indicated the need to improve safety and sanitation services. The findings suggest that needs of students withdisabilities heavily outweigh the existing inclusive policy practices. Hence, disability policies should be informedby the needs of affected students.

Availability of and Access to Health and HIV/ AIDS Prevention Services for Youths in Rural Secondary Schools in South Africa

Abstract The study assessed the accessibility and availability of health and HIV prevention services for rural secondary learners in Malelane Sub-district of South Africa. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was adopted. Self-report questionnaires were used to collect data from a total of 242 randomly selected learners aged 15 to 22 years yielding 69.1 percent response rate. On the question of access to health facilities, 93.7 percent and 85.5 percent reported accessing the clinic and the hospital respectively. Whilst almost 3 in 4 respondents reported receiving HIV information, only a quarter took part in the HIV/AIDS awareness programme. Though most (98.3%) of the respondents in the study reported being aware of the availability of free condoms, 57.1 percent indicated that they were too scared or afraid to access condoms. The study also established significant differences between gender and participation in promotion of condom use (p=0.03) and awareness of family planning services (p=0.02). Though the findings indicated that health and HIV/AIDS prevention services were available and accessible in terms of physical location of health facilities, utilization of such services was a challenge. To promote and enhance effective utilization of such services, there is the need for the creation of a permissive and conducive youth-friendly climate around health facilities through appropriate HIV/AIDS health education and promotion.