Correlates of youth internal migration and employment in Uganda

Background: Young people continue to gravitate from rural to urban Uganda. Whereas studies on drivers of this mobility abound, less is known about the predictors of internal migration and employment. This study investigated the correlates of youth migration and employment. Data and methods: Primary data were collected from 1,537 respondents. Binary and multinomial logistic regression models were fitted to predict migration and employment status, respectively. Findings: Being an older youth increased the odds of outmigration and chances of employment. Hailing from a rural environment increased chances of outmigration. The never married youths were less likely to be self-employed but more likely to be paid employees than their married counterparts. Females were less likely to be employed than males. Conclusion: Age, home environment and sex were significant correlates of migration and employment. We recommend improvement in rural conditions and strengthening programmes that address the gender gap in employment opportunities

Socio-economic and demographic factors related to HIV status in urban informal settlements in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

The prevalence of HIVetAIDS is embedded in social and economic inequity and the relationship between social determinants and HIV incidence is well established. The aim of this study was to determine which socio-economic and demographic factors are related to HIV status in the age group 18 to 49 years in informal settlements in the Eastern Cape; South Africa. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 3 informal settlements (n = 752) during March 2013 within the Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City districts. A proportional cluster sample was selected and stratified by area and formal plot/squatter households in open areas. Respondents who volunteered to participate had to provide informed written consent before trained; bilingual peer educators interviewed them and completed the structured questionnaire. HIV status was determined and information on demographic and socio-economic variables was included in the bivariate analysis. The prevalence of HIV was higher; at 17.3; than the 2011 estimated national prevalence among the general population in South Africa. The level of education (?2 = 5.50; df = 1; p 0.05); geographical site (?2

Systematic Chest Radiography during Pre-Employment Check-Up

The aim of this study was to specify the importance of chest radiography during pre-employment check-ups in the tropical environment. A cross-sectional study of chest X-rays of 2540 apparently healthy job applicants in seven private companies in Abidjan; Cote d'Ivoire; was carried out over a 5-year period. The chest X-rays were performed in posterior-anterior; frontal; standing position. Two senior radiologists performed a double-blind study in search of parietal; mediastinal; and pleuroparenchy-matous abnormalities. The 2540 subjects were all males with ages ranging between 20 and 36 years. In 93of the cases (2372 job applicants) the frontal chest X-ray was normal but 168 (7) presented abnormal images. The observed lesions were dominated by cardiomegaly (102 cases) followed by pulmonary parenchymatous lesions (35 cases); and by pleural liquid effusions (10 cases). The parenchymatous abnormalities were represented by 35 evolutional lesions in the form of 12 apical parenchymatous infiltrates; 7 excavated apical pneumopathies; and 16 non-excavated condensations. The 10 cases of pleural abnormality were encysted pleuritis. Frontal chest radiology can be useful in pre-employment check-ups in the tropical environment by helping to screen for contagious pulmonary lesions that may be undetected at a clinical examination

Depth of Poverty in an Informal Settlement in the Vaal Region; South Africa

Despite the large number of people currently living in poverty in sub-Saharan Africa; the debate about the definition and meaning of poverty continues. Two distinct problems exist regarding the measurement of poverty; namely the difficulty of identifying the poor in a population and the difficulty in developing an index for the measurement of poverty. The main objective of the survey was to apply a poverty model for determining the depth of poverty in an informal settlement in the Vaal Region; as well as the impact of possible income-generating activities on the community. A questionnaire; which had been devised for measuring poverty indicators; was administered to 429 randomly selected households in the informal settlement; with the poverty model being applied to measure the degree of poverty. The results of the survey showed that 286 households lived in poverty at the time. The impact of extra income on the poverty levels of these 286 households was then determined. The results of the survey also showed that the unemployment level was 91and that the mean monthly income was R612.50. The average poverty gap was R1017.21; with the poverty gap ratio being 56. The poverty model showed that an increase of R500 in monthly household income resulted in a poverty gap ratio of 35. The results indicated that the community was a poverty-stricken community; suffering from chronic food insecurity. The results of the study will be used to facilitate the planning and implementation of sustainable; income-generating; community-based interventions aimed at promoting urban food security and alleviating poverty in the community in question

Level of maternal education and performance of Black, South African infants on the 1996 Griffiths Mental Development Scales

Objective: The study compared the performance on the Griffiths Mental Development Scales of Black; South African infants with mothers who had twelve or more years of education and who were professionally employed with infants of mothers with fewer than twelve years of education and who were employed in non-professional jobs. Method: The sample consisted of 40 infants (aged 13-16 months); to whom the Griffiths Mental Development Scales was administered. Results: The infants with professional mothers performed significantly better than their counterparts with non-professional mothers on the General Quotient; as well as on the Locomotor Scale. While maternal level of education did not appear to distinguish between infants in terms of social; fine motor; language; hearing; processing speed or practical reasoning; it did discriminate in terms of gross-motor functioning. Conclusion: It is suggested that; as the infant develops; the skills assessed by the Griffiths Scales; which are initially differentiated; become increasingly interrelated. Consequently; poor gross-motor skills; which may be more likely in infants from a low socio-economic status; may have far-reaching implications. Thus; it is important to consider maternal level of education and the socio-economic status background of the infant; as this may influence overall performance on the Scales

The Impact of Organisational Culture on the Adaptation of Newly Employed Nurses to Work Environment

Usually newly employed nurses find adjusting to a work setting a challenging experience.Their successful adaptation to their work situation is greatly influenced by the socialisation process inherent in the organisational culture. The newly employed nurse often finds that the norms are unclear; confusing and restrictive. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of organisational culture on the adaptation of newly employed nurses to the work environment. A descriptive quantitative survey was employed to explore the constructs of organisational culture that have a positive or a negative impact on the adaptation of newly employed nurses to the work setting. Constructs such as conflict resolution; employee participation; human resource orientation; goal clarity; identification with the organisation; locus of control and management style were examined. Participants expressed their views as to what constructs of organisational culture had a positive or a negative impact on their adjustment to the work settings. For the culture to serve its function it must be perceived as correct and valid and if it is perceived that way; it automatically follows that it must be taught to newcomers

The Role Played by Recruitment Agencies in the Emigration of South African Nurses

Active recruitment of foreign nurses might offer solutions to many countries' nursing shortages. During 1999; the International Council of Nurses (ICN) expressed concerns regarding the aggressive international recruitment of nurses.The ICN maintained that internationally recruited nurses might be particularly at risk of exploitation or abuse. The ICN denounced unethical recruitment practices that might exploit nurses (ICN; 1999a:1-6). Many nurses who leave the Republic of South Africa might use recruitment agencies' assistance. These concerns raised by the ICN indicated the need for obtaining information about the emigration of South African nurses and the role played by recruitment agencies. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe how recruitment agencies contributed to the emigration of South African nurses. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used. A purposive sample of recruitment agencies that recruited South African nurses to practise in foreign countries (N=4) was drawn. The second sample; a purposive sample selected through snowball sampling consisted of South African registered nurses who were practising in foreign countries (N=27). The findings obtained from structured interviews conducted with recruitment agencies were supported by findings from e-mail responses from nurses working in foreign countries. These research results indicated that recruitment agencies in South Africa provided professional services to nurses who wanted to work in foreign countries. Contrary to research reports published in other countries; no evidence was found of nurses being exploited by recruitment agencies in South Africa