Rural Black Children Research Articles

Overweight, obesity and underweight in rural black South African children

Background: The objective was to estimate the prevalence of overweight, obesity and underweight conditions among rural black children in South Africa. A cross-sectional study was undertaken. The setting was Mankweng and Toronto, both rural settlements in Capricorn district, Limpopo province, South Africa.Participants were 1172 school children (541 boys and 631 girls) aged 10–16 years.Method: The prevalence of overweight, obesity and underweight was examined, using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) body mass index (BMI) cut-off points. Height and body weight were measured using standard techniques. Results were analysed with student t-test statistics, with probability level set at p-value ≤ 0.05.Results: The percentage of children who were at risk of overweight were higher in girls (11%) than boys (9.1%), whereas obesity occurred more among the boys (5.5%), compared with the girls (4.4%). Applying the CDC cut-off points of 5th < percentile to define underweight, 25 (4.6%) and 35 (5.2%) of boys and girls respectively were underweight.Conclusion: Similar to previous studies, this study indicates that overweight and obesity are high among South African children, even in rural settings. The study also demonstrates that underweight is prevalent among the sampled children. This supports the notion of a double burden of disease in developing countries.

One foot on the dock and one foot on the boat: Differences among preservice science teachers' interpretations of field‐based science methods in culturally diverse contexts

AbstractTo support lasting change in science classrooms, efforts must be made to assist teachers in understanding the outcomes of their pedagogical choices. The process of reflection is not limited to experienced teachers' experiences, though we must recognize that preservice teachers do not draw upon the same vast repertoire and knowledge. The purpose of this study was to investigate preservice science teachers' beliefs about science teaching and learning through reflections on their own teaching with lower track science students. Using the major data sources of videotapes of teaching, stimulated recall interviews, and student journals we studied preservice teachers enrolled in a field based secondary science methods course working predominantly with rural Black children. Initially, preservice science teachers demonstrated similar practices, made similar inferences about teaching and learning, and relied upon similar domains of knowledge to gauge their teaching. By the end of the study, two discrete categories of preservice teachers emerged: (1) those who demonstrated an ability to reflect on and revise their practices and engage in the production of new teacher knowledge and (2) those who seemingly deflected efforts to shift their thinking and instead reproduced their own educational experience with a new student population. Implications for teacher education and research are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 87:390–418, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/sce.10057

Enriching diets for childhood mental and physical development

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The nutritional status of a rural community in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: the Ndunakazi project.

To assess the nutritional status of six month to 11 year old rural Black children and their mothers as a first phase in a nutrition intervention project. Cross sectional study. A rural African community +/- 60 km northwest of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A random sample of 127 mothers and 105 pre-school and 131 primary school children were selected from this community. Anthropometric (height and weight), biochemical and dietary and socio-demographic information was collected. Among the pre-schoolers anaemia was present in 23.8%, iron deficiency in 19.8%, while marginal vitamin A deficiency was observed in 44.9%. Urinary iodine levels indicated moderate iodine deficiency in 31.8% and severe iodine deficiency in 9.1%. In primary school children the prevalence of anaemia was 22%, while marginal vitamin A deficiency was observed in 50.8%. Moderate iodine deficiency was observed in 37.9% of primary school children while 13.6% presented with severe iodine deficiency. The prevalence of goitre in this group was 22.1%. Almost 22% of mothers were anaemic and 18.9% were iron deficient. Only 1.6% of mothers were marginally vitamin A deficient. An enlarged thyroid was observed in 26.7% of mothers of which 17.3% were palpable and 9.4% visible. Of mothers 43.4% were overweight while 33.8% were obese. The rural community in KwaZulu-Natal, showed a high prevalence of anaemia, marginal vitamin A deficiency and iodine deficiency. The information gathered during this cross sectional study served as a basis to plan and implement an intervention study aimed at addressing the nutritional deficiencies.

Intellectual Disability In Rural Black Children In The Bushbuckridge District Of South Africa

Abstract The aim of this project was to investigate the prevalence and aetiology of intellectual disability in rural black children in the Bushbuckridge district. Children (aged 2–9 years) were screened by local trained field-workers who interviewed the caregivers with a simple questionnaire. Children who screened positive were examined by a paediatrician. Altogether 4581 children were screened, 541 had a paediatric assessment, and 152 (3,3%) were found to have an intellectual disability (IQ ≤ 80). The mild to severe disability ratio was 4:1, and 52% of affected children with an IQ ≤ 70 had associated disorders. The aetiology of the disability was congenital in 25% of cases, acquired in 11% and undetermined in 64%. The affected male to female ratio was 3:2. These findings have implications for the provision of appropriate special education, as well as health preventive services.

Breast and bottle feeding in rural and urban South African children

We studied breast and bottle feeding in 1264 children aged 1–4 years from five South African communities using a questionnaire on feeding habits completed by trained interviewers. The proportion of infants breast feeding ranged from 73% to 94% for mean periods of 9–16 months. The group with the most consistent and prolonged breast feeding habits were rural black children. Different bottle feeding practices were used within the various communities. At the ages studied the types of infant feeding practice varied little within the groups although each group differed significantly from the others for the preferred feeding method.

Prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant black women living in Soweto.

Urban black children have an appreciably lower hepatitis B virus (HBV) carrier rate than rural Black children. The purpose of this study was to determine the carrier rate in the preceding generation of urban-born Blacks, in order to establish how rapidly the reduction in carrier rate following urbanization has occurred. HBV markers were measured by radioimmunoassay in the serum of 616 urban-born and 618 rural-born pregnant Black women living in Soweto. HBV carriage was significantly less frequent in the urban-born (1.3%) than in the rural-born women (4.0%; P less than 0.05). Total HBV exposure was also less common in the urban-born women (35.2% compared with 44.7%; P less than 0.001). HBV carrier rates were the same in women whose mothers were urban-born (1.31%) and those with rural-born mothers (1.68%). Only three rural-born and no urban-born women had replicative HBV infection. These findings suggest that the decrease in the HBV carrier rate with urbanization is abrupt, occurring in the first generation born in the urban environment.

Prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among black children in Soweto.

Roughly 15% of black children in rural areas of southern Africa are carriers of the hepatitis B virus. The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus infection among urban black children born and growing up in Soweto. A total of 2364 children were studied, ranging in age from 3 to 19 years, and of these, 1319 (56%) were girls. The children were drawn from the highest and the lowest socioeconomic classes. Serum samples were tested for all hepatitis B virus markers as well as IgG antibody against hepatitis A virus. HBsAg was detected in 23 (0.97%) of the children, anti-HBc and anti-HBs together in 155 (6.6%), anti-HBc alone in 17 (0.7%), and anti-HBs alone in 72 (3%). Of the 2364 children, 2097 (88.5%) were negative for all hepatitis B virus markers. IgG antibody to hepatitis A virus was present in 175 (97%) of a sample of 179 children. There was no difference in prevalence of hepatitis B virus markers between children from the upper and lower socioeconomic classes. HBsAg was more common in boys (16 out of 1043 (1.5%) than girls (seven out of 1321 (0.57%), and the prevalence of all hepatitis B virus markers increased with age. The youngest carrier of hepatitis B virus was 7 years old. The remarkable difference in the hepatitis B virus carrier rate between urban and rural black children offers a unique opportunity to investigate the favourable influences operating in an urban environment to limit the prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection.

Dental caries and sucrose intake in five South African preschool groups.

Dental caries, debris (DI-S) and sugar intake were determined for 766 rural Black, urban Black, coloured, Indian and White children, using standardized techniques. In general sucrose intake, both quantity and frequency was low in rural Black children yet these children had relatively few caries-free individuals and higher than expected mean dmft scores. Comparison with earlier studies in the same localities has shown a worsening of dental caries in all groups except the White, in which the situation has improved. Sucrose consumption declined in rural Black, and White groups, remained steady in urban Black children and increased in coloured and Indian groups.

Caution in Using the PPVT (Form A) with Ruled Preschool Black Children

The first 60 items on Form A of the PPVT were administered to 30 rural black subjects, ranging in age from 4 years to 5 years, 7 months, to investigate the validity of the instrument in measuring receptive hearing vocabulary for this minority sample. The consistency of expressive descriptions of items missed was also investigated. Results and discussion suggest that caution should be used in interpreting results of Form A of the PP VT with preschool rural black children.

Calcium deficiency in rural black children in South Africa—a comparison between rural and urban communities

The prevalence of biochemical abnormalities usually associated with rickets was investigated in three black school-going populations, one from a rural community, one from a small urban community, and one from a large urban area. A high prevalence of biochemical abnormalities was found in the rural community, where 13.2% of children were hypocalcemic and 41.5% had elevated alkaline phosphatase concentrations. No hypocalcemia was detected in the children from the large urban area. Urinary calcium excretion was lowest in the community with the highest prevalence of hypocalcemia and elevated alkaline phosphatase concentrations. Dietary calcium intake in those children with biochemical abnormalities was estimated at 125 mg/day, compared with 337 mg/day in those children with normal biochemistry. It is suggested that the pathogenesis of the biochemical abnormalities in the rural community is due to a low dietary intake of calcium.

The variable pattern of mental development of rural black children.

This preliminary report of an infant population, de prived both nutritionally and environmentally, shows that poor environment is as relevant as malnutrition for mental development in the first three years of life.