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Preventative interventions for early adolescent substance use in Sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Mgidi, Jane Nonhlanhla
Substance use among adolescents remains a significant public health concern globally, with far-reaching implications for physical health, psychological wellbeing, and academic achievement. While there is a growing emphasis on preventative interventions, there is limited literature that addresses early adolescents (ages 10-14), particularly within Sub-Saharan Africa, due to contextual, legal, and health-related constraints. Given the vulnerabilities associated with this developmental phase, early adolescence presents a critical window for implementing prevention efforts and building long-term resilience. This study aimed to map out existing literature on preventative interventions for early adolescent substance use in Sub-Saharan Africa, with an objective to identify gaps and assess the applicability of these interventions within the South African context. A scoping review was employed as the research design and methodology, and the research question was developed using the PCC (population, concept, context) mnemonic. Literature searches were conducted on the University of the Western Cape’s library system, Ukwazi, which is freely accessible to students registered at the university, and Covidence was used as an online data management application to manage the search process and enhance the rigour of the study. Ethics approval for the study was obtained from the Humanities and Social Science Research Ethics Committee (HSSREC) at the UWC (HS24/7/3). A total of 2128 references were retrieved, of which eight studies met the inclusion criteria and were analysed using Popay’s et al. (2006) narrative synthesis framework. The findings revealed three key themes: school-based interventions; family-structured strategies; and mass-media campaigns.
Perceptions of physiotherapy students regarding the management of patients with underlying mental illness in clinical practice at a university in the Western Cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Salo, Maylene
Mental illness (MI) has become one of the leading causes of ill health and disability worldwide, as nearly half of the population will experience a MI at some stage in their life. It is therefore inevitable that most healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists, will encounter patients with MI in clinical practice. As physiotherapists occupy an essential role in the management of patients with MI, they need to be equipped with the knowledge, skill, as well as favourable attitudes and behaviours towards patients with MI. Physiotherapy students also require these competencies when managing patients with underlying mental illness they may encounter during their clinical training. Therefore, this study aimed to explore physiotherapy students’ perceptions regarding the management of patients with underlying MI in clinical practice. A qualitative approach, with an exploratory descriptive design was used. Data was collected through individual, audio-recorded face to face interviews, and video-recorded online interviews, using a semi structured interview guide. The study population included all final year undergraduate physiotherapy students registered at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), with 16 students agreeing to participate. Participants were purposively selected due to their clinical exposure and experience gained in clinical practice. Data was analysed by employing Braun and Clarke’s six phase thematic analysis, whereby codes were identified, themes were generated and results presented textually with supporting quotes. Trustworthiness of the study was ensured by employing credibility, dependability, transferability and confirmability. This study was conducted according to the ethical practices pertaining to the study of human subjects as specified by the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences’ Research Ethics Committee of UWC. Sixteen fourth year, male and female physiotherapy students with a mean age of (22.8 ±1.32 years) consented to participate in this study.
Mangrove population dynamics in relation to disturbance and recruitment within South African estuaries
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Theron, Wilmari Francette
Mangroves uniquely regulate their changing environment; however, as they complete their life cycle in this dynamic ecosystem, continuous monitoring is essential to determine if they are selfsustaining, regenerating sufficiently, and managing threats. This study evaluated the status of four mangrove sites on the eastern coast of South Africa. Observational quantitative data was used for disturbances, disease indicators and the population structure and recruitment status of the forests and respective species. Disturbance was quantified by ranking it on a scale from 0 to 4 (four being the highest) for each site. The presence was noted for disturbances (per estuary), disease indicators (canker, fungi, and gummosis) and reproductive structures (flowers, propagules, and calyxes) for each individual within our sampling sites. To quantify and assess the population structure of each estuary, various indices were used to establish the importance of different species, while also looking at different regeneration classes (RC) to evaluate their stocking densities and recruitment. The disturbance levels in the Eastern Cape are moderate (17-25 out of a possible 48), with specific emphasis on resource use as the source of disturbances. Of the disease indicators, fungal growth was present on the majority of all trees (> 90%), while gummosis showed the least incidences. Of the three prevalent species in South Africa, Avicennia marina was the most affected by both gummosis and canker, while B. gymnorrhiza and R. mucronata displayed reduced incidences. The likelihood of canker also increased with the age (DBH) of trees. This study shows that A. marina has the lowest reproductively active population, while the less abundant R. mucronata has the highest.
A review and comparison of methods of testing for heteroskedasticity in the linear regression model
(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2025) Blignaut, Renette; Luus, Retha; Steel, Sarel
This study reviews inferential methods for diagnosing heteroskedasticity in the linear regression model, classifying the methods into four types: deflator tests, auxiliary design tests, omnibus tests, and portmanteau tests. A Monte Carlo simulation experiment is used to compare the performance of deflator tests and the performance of auxiliary design and omnibus tests, using the metric of average excess power over size. Certain lesser-known tests (that are not included with some standard statistical software) are found to outperform better-known tests. For instance, the best-performing deflator test was the Evans-King test, and the best-performing auxiliary design and omnibus tests were Verbyla's test and the Cook-Weisberg test, and not standard methods such as White's test and the Breusch-Pagan-Koenker test.
Ethical transgressions among healthcare professionals in South Africa from 2014 to 2023
(AOSIS (pty) Ltd, 2025) Nortjé, Nico; Pontarelli, Maureen; Gezu, Yanet
Background: Patients have become more comfortable lodging complaints with professional regulatory bodies over the last several years, likely influenced by the trending nature of patient-centred care and consumerism in healthcare and increased access to information through social media. Aim: To analyse the frequency and nature of reported ethical transgressions and penalties among registered South African healthcare professionals from 2014 to 2023. Setting: The study took place in South Africa. Methods: A list of all sanctioned cases was obtained from the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) (data were unavailable for 2019). A mixed-methods approach of quantitative and qualitative content analyses was followed. Results: The study analysed 1012 ethical transgressions among 452 registered medical practitioners, physiotherapists, psychologists, dietitians, dentists and occupational therapists. Fraudulent conduct accounted for the largest number (n = 507 [50.1%]) of transgressions across all professions. The most common penalty imposed was a fine of R1000 to R10000 (26% of total penalties). Both a fine and a suspension were imposed in 82% of cases. Completion of an ethics-based educational course accounted for only 3%. Conclusion: Fraudulent conduct remains the highest reported ethical transgression among registered healthcare professionals in South Africa. Individualised education that remediates deficiencies in ethical behaviours through analysis and reflection could be beneficial in mitigating ethical misconduct among healthcare professionals. Contribution: This study provides a comparative analysis of ethical transgressions and penalties among healthcare professionals in South Africa. It also offers insights into necessary areas of improvement of education and training and suggests a different approach to disciplinary action