Nutritional practices and body composition of para-athletes can impact their health and athletic performance. There is a paucity of research on the nutritional practices, including dietary and supplement intake, body composition and bone health of spinal cord-injured (SCI) endurance hand cyclists. This study assessed the body composition and dietary and supplement intake of 12 national-level SCI endurance hand cyclists (age: 44.0 ± 9.3 years). Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed in a sub-sample of participants (n = 4) using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Estimated body fat percentage was healthy (18.4 ± 5.1%) and lumbar spine BMD for the sub-sample was adequate, however hip BMD was low (Z-score and/or T-scores < −2). Carbohydrate intake for male and female participants was below the recommended intake (3.8 (2.9–4.1) and 2.4 (2.0–2.7) g/kg BW, respectively). Overall protein intake was adequate, whilst fat intake was high for both males and females (39.7 (37.7–41.6) and 42.1 (39.0–45.3)% of total energy, respectively). The reported intakes for a few key micronutrients were also below the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) and/or adequate intake (AI) for males (vitamin D, calcium). The prevalence of supplement use before, during, and after training was 40%, 100%, and 60%, respectively. In conclusion, the hand cyclists could benefit from nutritional guidance to match their daily carbohydrate intake with exercise requirements and optimise their fat intake. Optimal vitamin D and calcium intake is also important especially in the light of poor bone health below the lesion level.

Health SA Gesondheid promotes communication, collaboration and teamwork between professions and disciplines within the health sciences to address problems that cross and affect disciplinary boundaries.

This study explored the perceptions of spinal cord-injured (SCI) endurance hand cyclists regarding their physiological and nutrition-related challenges and the perceived impact of these challenges on nutritional intake and exercise capacity. This was an interpretive qualitative descriptive study in which semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 adult South African national-level SCI endurance hand cyclists. Thematic analysis was used to explore perceptions regarding physiological and nutrition-related challenges and the impact thereof on nutritional practices and exercise capacity. Four themes emerged from the interviews: (i) physiological challenges experienced, (ii) nutrition-related challenges experienced, (iii) changes in nutritional practices, and (iv) compromised exercise capacity. The SCI endurance hand cyclists reported a number of physiological and nutrition-related challenges. Bowel and bladder challenges, limited hand function, muscle spasms, thermoregulatory challenges, pressure sores, menstrual periods, and low iron levels/anaemia were perceived to predominantly impact food and fluid intake (restrict intake) and compromise exercise capacity. This information can assist to devise tailored guidelines aimed to optimise fluid intake, overcome bladder challenges and ensure adequate nutritional intake in light of limited hand function.

Background: Comprehensive and formalized digital health care ecosystems in health sciences tertiary education in South Africa do not currently exist, but they have the potential to influence teaching and learning, research, and community engagement. Objective: A total of 3 key objectives underpin the study, that is, determining the health care curriculum needs and required content for the development of a formalized digital health ecosystem, determining the level of readiness of staff and students to participate in a digital health care ecosystem, and determining whether community engagement and strategic partnerships can contribute to the sustainability of a digital health care ecosystem. Methods: A multipronged approach will be used to address the objectives, with a mixed methods design being undertaken. The qualitative phases will be phenomenological in nature, and triangulation of information along with thematic analysis will be conducted on the collected data. Quantitative data will be collected prospectively and cross-sectionally and analyzed using descriptive analysis. Sampling will include subject experts for the Delphi technique, staff and students at the University, clinical training and education partners, and community leaders. This study has received ethical approval from the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University Research and Ethics Committee (SMUREC/H/260/2023:PG). Results: Data collection for the first phase will begin in January 2024 and conclude in December 2024. Phase 2 and 3 of the study will be conducted concurrently, with data collection starting in January 2025 and concluding in December 2026. Conclusions: The establishment of a digital health care ecosystem has the potential to benefit staff, students, and communities through stakeholder collaboration, educational opportunities, research projects, and improved service delivery. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/57821

The food preparation method is one of the critical food security dimensions. Food may be available in a household. But still, the preparation method used for cooking food items may be detrimental to nutrient intake if the person responsible does not have appropriate cooking skills. Therefore, this study aims to assess the knowledge, skills, and household food preparation practices in the North of Tshwane, Gauteng Province to develop relevant intervention strategies to improve the community’s cooking skills. A quantitative study design was used. Data was collected from 490 households using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were analyzed using STATA 13.1. A Pearson chi-square was used to test for association between demographic variables, and the knowledge, skills, and household food preparation practices. Most households (64%) cook daily, 58% cook one main meal daily, 45% never eat food not prepared in a household, and 48% do not eat meals prepared away from home and do not opt to eat any meal out. Most households (51%) reported that they have food-cooking skills. Most households (65%) indicated that they use the boiling cooking method when cooking vegetables, 19% indicated that they use other methods, and 8% indicated that they use the frying method. There was an association between age, and how many main meals the households prepared at home (P-value = 0.013); age, and how often the households ate out (P-value = 0.026). An association was found between adults employed in a household, and how the household acquired cooking skills (P-value = 0.029); adults employed in a household and the cooking methods normally used by households when cooking meat (P-value = 0.050). Although most households indicated that they have cooking skills, there is a slight difference between them, and those who indicated that they don’t, as most households indicated they use the boiling method for cooking vegetables. This denotes a cooking skills gap, which demands intervention. Also, cooking skills should be improved to reduce food wastage thus addressing household food security. Key words: Food security, households, home-cooking, cooking skills, cooking practices