The burden of hypertension is reported to be on the rise in developing countries, such as South Africa, despite increased efforts to address it. Using a cross-sectional study design, we assessed and compared the prevalence of and risk factors associated with hypertension amongst adults aged ≥18 years in semi-urban and rural communities (1187 semi-urban and 1106 rural). Trained community health workers administered the INTERHEART Risk Score tool and performed blood pressure assessments using the MEDIC Pharmacists Choice Blood Pressure Monitor. Hypertension was defined to be a systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥ 140 mmHg and diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify factors and determine their relationship with hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension amongst semi-urban and rural communities was 21% with no gender difference. In the semi-urban area, physical activity, family history, fruit intake, salty food, and eating meat were significantly associated with the odds of hypertension among women, whereas only the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), diabetic status, and salty food were the predictors for rural women. Factors such as fried food and low fruit intake were significantly associated with the odds of hypertension among men in the semi-urban area, whereas only the WHR was significant among men in the rural area. Hypertension was found to be prevalent among semi-urban and rural adults in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Background: Primary healthcare (PHC) in South Africa often experiences crucial challenges that lead to patients’ negative experiences regarding their care, compromising the significant role that PHC services could play in health promotion and disease prevention. The primary purpose of implementing the Ideal Clinic (IC) in South Africa was to improve patients’ care quality at the clinics. There seems to be a paucity of studies determining professional nurses’ experiences when implementing the IC. Purpose: This study aimed to explore and describe professional nurses’ experiences regarding implementing the IC at three selected clinics in the Makhado local area. Study method: A qualitative phenomenological research design was used to explore professional nurses’ experiences regarding IC implementation. Purposive sampling was used to select 15 professional nurses working at the three selected clinics. Data were collected using semi-structured one-on-one interviews. Interviews were conducted until saturation was reached. Trustworthiness was ensured by applying Lincoln and Guba’s four criteria, i.e., credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Ethical clearance was obtained from the University of Limpopo Turfloop Research and Ethics Committee, and permission to conduct the study was obtained from Limpopo Province Department of Health Research and Ethics Committee. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data. Results: The following themes emerged from the study findings: perceived benefits of the IC on the primary healthcare services provided to the community, challenges experienced by professional nurses when implementing the IC program, and challenges related to the supply of resources for implementing the IC. The study results revealed that, although the IC aimed to improve the overburdened PHC facilities in SA, the professional nurses still experienced some challenges when implementing the IC program. Some of the challenges faced were a lack of knowledge and training in the IC program, poor infrastructure and the shortage of equipment, and inadequate provision of support by line managers, all of which resulted in poor-quality patient care. Conclusion: This study revealed that the introduction and implementation of the IC can have potential benefits to the community and the primary healthcare system. However, it was not introduced and appropriately implemented, which resulted in professional nurses experiencing several challenges. The national department of health needs to strengthen the program’s implementation through proper training, consultation, and continuous support of the nurses. Provision of quality equipment and supplies is also recommended.

The health and safety of the miners in the South African mining industry are guided by the regulations and standards applied to promote a healthy work environment. The miners must comply with these regulations/standards to protect themselves from potential occupational health and safety risks, accidents, and fatalities. The status of compliance to safety regulations and standards in the mining industry of Limpopo Province has received little attention from scholars. This study explores the practices related to occupational health and safety standards compliance in the mining industry. A total of 277 miners were randomly selected from 1300 respondents in the mining industry. Data were collected using a 31-item survey questionnaire, administered to miners to explore occupational health and safety standards compliance from December 2019 to May 2020. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) extracted key attributes of occupational health and safety standards compliance in the mining industry and uncovered relationships between different dimensions. The study revealed that seven factors could measure occupational health and safety standards practices. It was observed that Factor 1 (occupational health practice related to regulations) is correlated with Factor 2 (measures to reduce risk of injuries/accidents). Additionally, Factor 2 (measures to minimise the risk of injuries/accidents) is correlated with Factor 4 (impact of the environment and production). There is a correlation between non-compliance with the safety regulations and the occurrence of injuries and accidents.

The African Journal of Primary Health & Family Medicine welcomes submissions that encourage scholarly exchange between family medicine and primary health care researchers and practitioners across Africa and the developing world, whilst providing a contextual and holistic view of family medicine as practiced across the continent.

The battle against the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic are still raging in South Africa (SA) despite all the preventive strategies implemented via the five-year strategic plan (2011–2015). The intensity of the AIDS pandemic in SA creates additional challenges for the health workers as they have to deal with an increasing number of people who suffer from this disease. Professional nurses are a critical part of the workforce. The qualitative, explorative, descriptive, and contextual study design was conducted in five public hospitals from each district of Limpopo Province. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe experiences regarding support received by professional nurses while providing care to HIV and AIDS patients in the public hospitals of Limpopo Province. Purposive sampling was employed to select the participants who provided care to HIV and AIDS patients for 24 months or more. The recruitment of participants continued until data saturation was reached at participant number 20. Data were collected through face-to-face individual interviews using a semi-structured guide. Data were analyzed using Tech’s qualitative data analysis method. Trustworthiness was measured through credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability. Findings: Emotional and physical strain due to a shortage of staff, heavy workload, staff turnover, and high absenteeism were experienced by the nurses fulfilling these tasks. Exhaustion, fatigue, increased levels of stress, and lack of training, counselling, debriefing sessions, recognitions, and reward systems were also experienced. Recommendations: A program for support of all professional nurses providing care to HIV and AIDS patients should be conceptualized and implemented.

Background: Evidence is lacking on the effects of binge alcohol consumption on metabolic syndrome in the rural South African population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between binge drinking and components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) amongst Ellisras rural young adults aged 21 to 31 years who are part of the Ellisras Longitudinal Study. Methods: Logistic regression analysis was applied to a total of 624 participants (306 males and 318 females) aged 21 to 31 years who took part in the Ellisras Longitudinal Study (ELS). The model was adjusted for covariates, including smoking, age, and gender. Binge alcohol consumption was assessed using a standardised questionnaire that was validated for the Ellisras rural community. A standardised method of determining the components MetS was used after fasting blood samples were collected from all the participants. Results: Binge drinking remained significantly associated with low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (OR = 2.64, 95% CI = 1.23–5.65), after being adjusted for smoking, age, and gender. Other MetS components were not predicted. Instead, gender remained significantly associated with all MetS components, except triglycerides, at multivariate analysis. Age retained significance at multivariate analysis with waist girth (OR = 2.13, 95% CI = 1.37–3.34), triglycerides (OR = 2.30, 95% CI = 1.05–5.02), and the MetS composite (OR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.12–2.41). Conclusion: Binge drinking was significantly associated with lower levels of HDL-C. Future studies should investigate the relationship between alcohol abuse and the components of incident MetS in this population.