Physiotherapy students' and officers' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of mental health.

Background: Physiotherapy in mental health is not very popular among physiotherapists, students, healthcare professionals, and people living with mental illness (PLWMI), although many PLWMI are managed by physiotherapy students and physiotherapists. Aim: This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of physiotherapy students and physiotherapy community service officers (PCSOs) towards mental health. Setting: The study was conducted in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Methods: A concurrent mixed-method was employed using the Attitudes Toward Psychiatry (ATP-30) questionnaire and focus group discussions. The questionnaire was distributed to 100 PCSOs and 191 physiotherapy students. Focus groups were conducted to assess the knowledge gained through the undergraduate programme, comprising three groups of students from second to fourth year and two groups of PCSOs. An interview was also conducted with one PCSO. Results: A total of 146 students and 72 community service officers completed the questionnaire. Participants had an overall positive attitude, with a mean ATP-30 score of 108.02 (standard deviation [s.d.] = 10.86). Those with a family member or friend with a mental illness scored higher. Focus groups revealed limited knowledge about mental health and reluctance to work in the field. Conclusion: Physiotherapy students and PCSOs in KZN had positive attitudes towards mental health despite limited knowledge. They expressed a desire for more information about mental health. Contribution: The curriculum needs to include adequate mental health content to prepare students to manage PLWMI after graduation, reducing stigma, and negative perceptions, and ensuring confidence.

Mental health content in the physiotherapy undergraduate curriculum in South Africa.

Background: Knowledge about mental health in physiotherapy practice is essential as mental health can impact physical health. Little is known about the mental health content in the South African physiotherapy undergraduate programme. Objectives: Our study explored the mental health content in the undergraduate physiotherapy programme at eight universities and the perceptions of academic staff at an identified training institution in South Africa and stakeholders about the relevance of mental health in the undergraduate physiotherapy programme. Method: Our study employed a concurrent-mixed method design, which consisted of: (1) the administration of a survey to academic leaders or lecturers undertaking mental health teaching at universities and (2) an online interview that included stakeholders and a focus group to gauge perceptions of academic staff at an identified institution in South Africa. Results: Seven of eight universities participated in our study. All the universities had a psychology module and agreed that it is crucial to have mental health content in the curriculum. There is diversity in the mental health content between the universities. Conclusion: There is a need for consistency in the mental health content at all universities to ensure that all students receive the same skill set to have an impact on the quality of care. Clinical implications: There is a need to include mental health content at universities offering theoretical and practical undergraduate programmes.

The effect of explicit convection on simulated malaria transmission across Africa.

Malaria transmission across sub-Saharan Africa is sensitive to rainfall and temperature. Whilst different malaria modelling techniques and climate simulations have been used to predict malaria transmission risk, most of these studies use coarse-resolution climate models. In these models convection, atmospheric vertical motion driven by instability gradients and responsible for heavy rainfall, is parameterised. Over the past decade enhanced computational capabilities have enabled the simulation of high-resolution continental-scale climates with an explicit representation of convection. In this study we use two malaria models, the Liverpool Malaria Model (LMM) and Vector-Borne Disease Community Model of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (VECTRI), to investigate the effect of explicitly representing convection on simulated malaria transmission. The concluded impact of explicitly representing convection on simulated malaria transmission depends on the chosen malaria model and local climatic conditions. For instance, in the East African highlands, cooler temperatures when explicitly representing convection decreases LMM-predicted malaria transmission risk by approximately 55%, but has a negligible effect in VECTRI simulations. Even though explicitly representing convection improves rainfall characteristics, concluding that explicit convection improves simulated malaria transmission depends on the chosen metric and malaria model. For example, whilst we conclude improvements of 45% and 23% in root mean squared differences of the annual-mean reproduction number and entomological inoculation rate for VECTRI and the LMM respectively, bias-correcting mean climate conditions minimises these improvements. The projected impact of anthropogenic climate change on malaria incidence is also sensitive to the chosen malaria model and representation of convection. The LMM is relatively insensitive to future changes in precipitation intensity, whilst VECTRI predicts increased risk across the Sahel due to enhanced rainfall. We postulate that VECTRI's enhanced sensitivity to precipitation changes compared to the LMM is due to the inclusion of surface hydrology. Future research should continue assessing the effect of high-resolution climate modelling in impact-based forecasting.

Factors Influencing Compliance with The Utilization of Effective Malaria Treatment and Preventive Measures in Wulu, South Sudan.

BACKGROUND: High incidence of malaria disease in South Sudan may be largely due to poor/non-compliance with effective treatment and preventive measures. This study examined factors limiting/enhancing compliance with the utilization of known and effective malaria treatment and preventive measures in Wulu, South Sudan. METHODS: A case-control study involving 396 respondents was conducted. Participants were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire to elicit information regarding socio-demographics and factors influencing compliance with using available treatment and preventive measures for malaria. RESULT: Respondents diagnosed with malaria reported lack of insecticide treated nets (51.5%) and forgetfulness (16.6%) as reasons for not using insecticide treated nets. About 26% of them lacked the knowledge of insecticide treated net's usefulness, while 57.5% of them did not consider it necessary to have door/window barriers. About 44% of all respondents forgot to take prescribed drugs at the right time while 14.5% of them did not complete drug prescriptions because they felt relief of symptoms. There were significant associations between identified factors of compliance to treatment/preventive measures and occurrence of malaria (all at p = 0.001). Having insecticide treated nets (OR: 5.78; CI: 3.46-9.00), awareness of its benefits (OR: 8.76; CI: 3.02-25.37), being taught on its use (OR: 3.35; CI: 2.17-5.18) and understanding of its use (OR: 3.80; CI: 2.01-7.20) were significantly associated with year-round utilization of insecticide treated nets. CONCLUSION: Poor access to and knowledge of malaria treatment, control and preventive measures are leading barriers to their effective utilization in Wulu.

Effects of a Twelve-Week Weight Reduction Exercise Programme on Selected Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters of Obese Individuals.

Objectives. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of twelve-week weight reduction exercises on selected spatiotemporal gait parameters of obese individuals and compare with their normal weight counterparts. Methods. Sixty participants (30 obese and 30 of normal weight) started but only 58 participants (obese = 30, normal weight = 28) completed the quasi-experimental study. Only obese group had 12 weeks of weight reduction exercise training but both groups had their walking speed (WS), cadence (CD), step length (SL), step width (SW), and stride length (SDL) measured at baseline and at the end of weeks 4, 8, and 12 of the study. Data were analysed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics. Results. There was significantly lower WS, SL, and SDL but higher CD and SW in obese group than the normal weight group at baseline and week 12. However, the obese group had significantly higher percentage changes in all selected spatiotemporal parameters than the normal weight group. Conclusion. The 12-week weight reduction exercise programme produced significantly higher percentage changes in all selected spatiotemporal gait parameters in the obese than normal weight individuals and is recommended for improvement of these parameters among the obese individuals with gait related problems.